The Musical
by em's-imagination
Summary: Sequel to 'The Sequel! High School Musical takes to the stage and tours as a broadway musical! More fluffy Zanessa moments, plus plenty of fun with your favourite cast, a new character and a new couple! Definately worth the read!
1. New Job!

**A/N: Here's my new fic! I promised it would come and here it is. It starts about 2 months after where "The Sequel" finished. As said in the summary, they are putting High School Musical on the stage so it's going to be fun with our favourite cast again! Yay! There are going to be a couple of new characters in it, and I own them, but I do not know any of the real people mentioned, and I definitely do not own any of them, or anything to do with High School Musical. Ok, so here goes. Enjoy!

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The cast of High School Musical 2 had been promoting their movie for a couple of months. Vanessa and Zac were still dating and the general public had no idea. They were as happy as ever and the rest of their friends were still teasing them about how cute they were. Especially Ashley and Lucas. But they now had a reason to be teased too. They had been dating for a couple of weeks, but they weren't so used to the public displays of affection yet. So they kept their relationship a lot more quiet and discreet. Everyone knew they were together, but they weren't as obvious as Zac and Vanessa.

Corbin now spent a lot of time whining about how he was the fifth wheel, but it hadn't been so bad while they'd been promoting, because he'd been hanging out with Chris a lot.

So that brings us to now, where they were all sitting in a café after finishing their very last interview together. Zac and Vanessa's hands were subtly linked under the table and Lucas had an arm casually placed around Ashley's waist. Everyone was drinking coffee, except Vanessa who had a vanilla milkshake. Corbin, as usual, was eating. He had a huge plate of pancakes in front of him that he was eating at lightning speed.

'So that was our last interview.' Vanessa said glumly.

'Yep.' Zac said, squeezing her hand.

'And now we go home again?' she asked.

'Yep.' Zac repeated.

'Not so fast.' A voice said. They all looked up. Kenny was standing by their table.

'Kenny! What are you doing here?' Lucas asked, holding up his hand for a high five.

'I've come with some good news for you guys.' Kenny said, slapping Lucas and Zac's hands.

'Really? What's going on? Are we making a third movie?' everyone exclaimed all at once. Ashley simply sat with a smug look on her face, not saying a word.

'Ash? Do you know something?' Vanessa asked, staring intently at the blonde. Ashley shrugged.

'I think Kenny had something to say.' She said, avoiding Vanessa's question. Vanessa eyed her suspiciously before turning her attention back to Kenny.

'Ok, well you guys know that you've finished all the promoting for the movie now, but I have another offer for you. Disney has asked that we put High School Musical on the stage and tour with it. What do you think?'

'Are you serious?' Zac gasped.

'Dead serious.'

'Oh my gosh, this is awesome!' Lucas exclaimed. 'I'll do it! Definitely! Ash? Are you going to sign on?' he asked, turning to look at his girlfriend. She grinned.

'I already have.' She said, making everyone else gasp.

'What?' Lucas asked, clearly confused.

'I've been signed on for quite a while. Kenny, do you want to explain this?' she said, looking at Kenny.

'Yeah I'll take it. Ok, well Ashley was so depressed when she was fired from the suite life and I had to cheer her up somehow. The last thing I wanted was a tearful and depressed actress attempting to promote my movie. No one would have watched it! So I told her about the musical. I made her promise she'd keep it a secret though. I wasn't allowed to tell you until yesterday, so she's been illegally informed of a Disney project. So whatever you do, don't let anyone know that any of you knew before today, ok?'

'Yeah sure.' Zac said. 'I think I can speak for Nessa as well and say that we'll both sign on. Right Ness?'

'Absolutely!' she said with a grin. 'What about you guys?' she asked.

'I'm in.' Corbin said.

'Me too.' Chris agreed.

'Yep.' Olesya said.

'What about you Monique?' Vanessa asked.

'Of course!' she cried. Everyone cheered and hugged each other.

'We're going on stage!' Vanessa squealed as she hugged Ashley.

'I know!' Ashley squealed back.

'Umm girls? We're making a scene. How about we go back to the hotel and then you can squeal as much as you want.' Zac said with a slight chuckle. The girls agreed and it wasn't long until everyone was gathered in Vanessa and Zac's room and a party ensued.

'I'm so excited that we're going on stage!' Vanessa exclaimed to Zac.

'I know! It's so cool!' he replied, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her. 'That means all the more time we can be together before we get separated again.' He whispered. Vanessa giggled, and then her face dropped and became serious again.

'I don't ever want to be away from you again.' She murmured into his ear, her arms tight around him.

'Hey, don't go getting all serious on me now.' Zac said. 'This is a celebration! Now come and dance with me.' he said, pulling her towards where Ashley and Lucas were dancing.

The gang spent the night dancing and singing karaoke before collapsing with exhaustion. They'd had a tiring couple of months. The next day they had a meeting with the Disney executives. They were informed that they would be meeting their assistant stage manager (asm) in 2 days time and then in a couple of weeks they would fly to LA and sit in on final auditions to help pick some new chorus members. In the meantime they would be getting to know their asm, as she would be the one they would spend most time with on tour. Aside from each other, of course.

'Wow. This is huge! I'm so excited!' Vanessa squealed.

'I think Ashley's been rubbing off on you.' Corbin commented.

'Shut up!' Vanessa and Ashley said simultaneously, slapping him across the head.

'I swear, you two get more like sisters every day.' Zac said cautiously, not sure if he was earning himself a slap or not.

'We know!' the girls chorused, linking hands and skipping out of the room.

Zac and Corbin laughed, following the girls out of the room.

That night they had a sleepover in Corbin's room.

'Lets play truth or dare!' Ashley called out after a few boring hours of watching movies. The boys groaned and protested, but eventually the girls talked them into it.

'Ok, Corbin, truth or dare?' Ashley asked. Corbin, who was sprawled out on the couch looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

'Dare.'

'Ok…I dare you to call Kenny and tell him you've decided not to do the musical.' Ashley said with a smug look on her face. Corbin's mouth dropped open.

'No way! He'll kill me!'

'You chose dare.' Ashley said matter of factly. To Corbin's dismay, the other occupants of the room agreed. After a lot of arguing, Corbin finally made the call.

'Ummm hi Kenny. I have something to tell you. I don't want to do the musical. Uhuh…ok. Yep, that's cool. Ok, bye Kenny.' He said as he hung up the phone. 'He didn't even care!' he exploded. Ashley burst out laughing.

'I told him. I'd planned this dare. He knew you were going to call. And he knows you do still want to do the musical. Sorry Corb, but it was just so funny.' She giggled. Corbin looked murderous for a few minutes before finally calming down and continuing the game.

The game went on for an hour or so without too much happening until Zac realised Vanessa was asleep. She was lying with her head in his lap, her eyes closed tight and her breathing steady.

'Uh, guys? As much as I hate to cut the game short, I think Nessa's fallen asleep. I think we should probably call it a night.' Zac said quietly, trying not to wake Vanessa.

'Aww, that's not fair!' Ashley whined. 'The game hasn't even gotten interesting yet!'

'Sorry, Ash, but Vanessa's not going to be much use, and we're too smart to let this game go too far. We know what you're like.' Zac said with a laugh.

'Fine.' Ashley pouted, crossing her arms across her chest.

'Aww, baby, its all good.' Lucas said, putting his arm around her shoulders. Ashley relaxed against him, still pouting but not looking so annoyed.

'Fine.' She agreed. 'I'm going to bed.' She got up, pulling Lucas up with her and they left. Corbin held the door for Zac as he got up holding Vanessa in his arms and made his way back to their room. He had laid her down on the bed successfully, without waking her, when her cell phone rang. Zac cursed loudly and tried to find it before she woke up. Too late.

'Zac?' she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. 'What's going on?' she pulled her cell phone out and answered it. It turned out to be her mom. They talked for a few minutes before Vanessa finally ended the conversation.

She hung up the phone and curled her body into Zac's.

'How long was I asleep?'

'Not long. About half an hour, I guess.' Zac answered, stroking her hair.

'Oh. I'm tired, Zachary. Can we go to sleep please?'

'Yeah. Unless you want to fool around first?' Zac asked with a hopeful look on his face. Vanessa slapped his arm playfully.

'Not tonight baby. As much as I love you, and as much as I want to, I'm tired and I really need some sleep.' Vanessa said, falling backwards onto the bed and climbing under the covers. Before long they were both asleep.

The next morning they went shopping. As much as the boys complained, Vanessa and Ashley managed to convince them to go to the mall. After nearly 5 hours of shopping, they sat down to eat.

'Are we going home after this?' Corbin asked. The girls shook their heads gleefully.

'Nope. We've still got at least 5 shops to visit, not to mention all the ones we'll find to look in on the way to those 5.' Ashley said with a grin. Lucas groaned and leaned against her. Zac did the same to Vanessa.

'Aww baby.' She said, stroking his hair. Ashley wasn't quite so sympathetic to Lucas.

'Suck it up, Luke!' She said, slapping his shoulder. He groaned again.

'We'll get you some food to put some more energy into you.' Vanessa said softly to Zac, placing a hand on his thigh. He smiled weakly and nodded.

'Must we keep going?' Zac asked.

'Yes, Zac. I need new clothes. You don't want to see me in the same old clothes for the next year, do you?' she said. 'If you don't complain for the rest of the afternoon, you might be able to help me choose some new underwear…' she whispered suggestively. He sat up straight.

'Right! Well let's get lunch over with! We've still got shopping to do!' Zac said, suddenly full of energy. Vanessa laughed, looking at his eager face.

'Well? You heard the man!' she said. 'Lets do this!' they ate fast and were soon on their way back into the depths of the mall. When they had finally finished with all their shopping, they headed back to the hotel. Zac collapsed on the bed when they finally made it back to their room.

'You know, Nessa, helping you buy underwear was not enough of a reward for that day of torture. However, seeing you in it might just make up for all that shopping I had to put up with.' He said, his voice weary but his eyes alight. Vanessa laughed.

'If you're good I might try it on for you later.' She said with a wink before heading into the bathroom.

Zac lay on the bed, just about to fall asleep. Vanessa had been in the bathroom for ages. He heard the bathroom door open, but he didn't look up. Until he heard Vanessa cough. He sat up and his eyes widened. Vanessa was standing in front of him, leaning against the doorframe. She was wearing a very short black lace nightie. As far as he could tell, she was wearing very little under it. He stared at her for a moment before he found his voice.

'That looks a lot better on you than it did on the hanger.' He managed to choke out as she made her way over to the bed.

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**I'm going to finish it there because I don't want to put anything too suggestive in here. I'm sure you all get the point i'm trying to make. I hope you liked the first chapter, although i wasnt very confident about it. But i won't know what you thought unless you review! Yay! But please, no flames, because I do not appreciate them.**


	2. A new friend

**A/N: ok, chapter two. Thats all i have to say.

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The next day the cast went to Disney studios to meet their asm.

'Guys, this is Emily. She's going to be your assistant stage manager. You'll be spending a lot of time together, so I suggest that you get to know her very well.' Kenny said before leaving.

'Hi everyone.' Emily said, sounding slightly shy. She had long and straight dark brown hair with some light brown streaks through it. It was pulled up into a neat but cute ponytail, with a few strands of hair hanging in front of her face. She had big blue eyes that were hidden behind rectangular framed glasses. She was dressed casually and had a little bit of makeup on. She was average height and fairly skinny. Not too skinny so she looked unhealthy, but a good weight for her height. Probably about a size 10. (**A/N: yes, I'm Australian, so if you're American, I think an Australian size 10 is about the same as an American 6. the reason I'm giving such a detailed description is because you know what everyone else looks like, so I'm trying to allow you to visualise her as well.)**

'Hi!' Ashley said, shaking Emily's hand. 'I'm Ashley and this is Zac, Vanessa, Lucas, Corbin, Monique, Olesya and Chris.' Emily shook hands with everyone and they all exchanged greetings.

'So, Emily, tell us something about yourself.' Olesya said as they sat down to talk.

'Umm ok. We'll I'm 19, I'm from Half Moon Bay, just outside of San Fransisco. But I moved to Santa Clarita to go to College…I dunno…what sort of stuff do you want to know?' she said, still looking a little nervous.

'How'd you get this job?' Lucas asked.

'I've been doing a degree in technical theatre management at CalArts (**A/N: This is a real school. It's proper name is California Institute of the Arts. It's about 30 miles from LA, and you can do technical production there)**. I was told there was a major job going so I applied. I didn't actually know what it was when I applied, but I was so excited when I found out. Kenny said he hired me because I had a lot of experience and he didn't want some crusty old person who wouldn't get along with you guys. He wanted someone young who could hang out with you guys and carry on a real conversation and stuff. So it came down to about 5 others and me. I actually knew them all, most of them are doing the course with me.' she said, starting to feel a little more comfortable around them.

'Wow. That's really cool.' Zac said. Emily smiled at him. 'Well I guess you're going to need to know some important stuff about us.' Zac added. Emily nodded.

'I guess so, it might help.'

'Ok, where should I start…' Zac said, evidently thinking hard. '…Ok, well, Vanessa and I are dating, and so are Ashley and Lucas. Vanessa hates carrots and is allergic to pepper. Corbin eats more than any person you'll have ever met. Kenny is great to get along with as long as you do what he asks. Ashley's hyperactive and we don't let her have coffee until we're all fully awake in the morning. Monique and Olesya are very private people and don't tend to hang out with us as often. Don't take it personally, they're just as friendly as the rest of us, they just like to be by themselves every now and again. Chris plays his x-box every chance he gets, and don't ever accept a game with him, coz you'll be there for hours. The girls love to shop, and if you do too, you'll feel right at home. If not, try as best as you can not to go shopping with them, because you'll never leave the mall. Ummm, what else is there?' he said, stopping to take a breath. Ashley decided she'd take over.

'I've hated chili fries ever since that scene in HSM. Lucas sings at every chance he gets. You'll get used to it, but it'll probably annoy you at first. Vanessa's mom calls her nearly every day. You'll know when her sister calls because they both tend to scream a lot. Zac loves the scent of pink sugar perfume. I've stopped wearing it because it makes him drool and only Vanessa should have that effect on him. I still go nuts over how cute they act, even though I've been seeing them together for months now. We're all great friends with Miley Cyrus so she'll probably visit a lot. Try not to sit next to Corbin in the van ever, because you'll end up with a mouth full of his hair. We generally make him sit in the front seat, but its best that you're warned. That's about all I can think of. You'll find out more stuff as you get to know us all better.' She finished with a grin.

'Wow. You guys know each other really well.' Emily said in awe.

'Yeah, I guess. Don't sweat it, you'll know us that well soon too.' Vanessa said with a smile.

They spent the rest of the day getting to know Emily, before heading back to the hotel for dinner.

'We eat free here, and the foods pretty decent, so we eat here most nights.' Corbin said as they walked into the restaurant.

'Yes, Corbin knows everything about the food here. He's tried it all.' Ashley said with a grin. Corbin shoved her into a pot plant.

'But seriously, don't try the beef in black bean sauce. Obviously these chefs have never tasted real black bean. And if you're a dessert fan, you cant go past the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.' He said with a wink. Emily laughed.

'I'll keep that in mind.'

They had a nice dinner, bickering and teasing like normal, and getting to know Emily a bit more. Vanessa and Ashley had taken her under their wing and before long the three girls were talking and laughing like they'd known each other their whole lives.

'I'm scared, Lucas.' Zac whispered while the girls were talking. 'It looks like we've got another one just like those two. Instead of the terrible two, its become the terrible three.' He said in a mock serious voice. Lucas laughed. Corbin overheard their conversation and joined in.

'I think she's kinda hot. And at least now I'm not a fifth wheel anymore. You never know, we could bond over not having someone…then we could have each other.' He said with a nod, while still shoveling his steak into his mouth.

'Corbin, you are such a dork.' Olesya said.

'Well thank you very much.' He said sarcastically.

Meanwhile, the girls were discussing clothes.

'Oh my gosh Em, we have just been handed a perfect opportunity to go shopping!' Ashley said in response to Emily's comment about needing new 'work clothes.'

'Umm, I hate to disappoint you, Ashley, but my work clothes consist of several entirely black outfits.' Emily responded. Ashley looked at her, confused. Emily elaborated.

'Anyone working backstage on any production has to be dressed entirely in black. It makes it harder for them to be seen. Especially stage managers, asm's and mechs. They are the ones that are most likely to be running onto stage during a blackout. So I need a couple of new outfits that are entirely black.' She explained.

'Well that's ok! We can still buy you some really cute stuff! As long as it's black. There isn't like a dress code or anything, is there?'

'No. Although I will be running around so heels aren't really an option. Well, not very high ones anyway…' she finished with a grin.

'Yay! We get to go shopping!' Ashley and Vanessa exclaimed simultaneously, with identical excited looks on their faces. The boys heard this part of the conversation and looked at each other, horrified.

'There is no way I am going shopping again.' Lucas said to Ashley.

'We didn't ask you to come.' She said, sticking her tongue out at him.

'Yeah, real mature, Ash.' He retorted. She laughed.

'We didn't expect you to come anyway. This is gonna be a girls day out.' She said with a grin at Vanessa and Emily.

'Damn right it is!' Vanessa said and gave the girls a high five. 'What are you guys going to do for a whole day? You'll be so bored without us!' she said.

'No we wont! We've got plenty of stuff to do. We'll go see that new movie you girls wouldn't let us see.' Zac responded.

'Fine, Zachary, you go do that.' Vanessa said with a knowing look at the girls.

'We will!' Corbin jumped in.

'Ok, ok, end of discussion.' Monique interrupted Vanessa before the conversation got ridiculous. 'The girls will go shopping tomorrow, and the guys will go see their movie. Everyone's happy. Lets just finish our meal and go to bed, because I for one am tired. Ok?' everyone agreed and continued their meal. Eventually another conversation picked up and the previous discussion was all but forgotten.

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**Well I'm going to leave it there for now. I know not much has happened so far, but next chapter I'm going to start the actual process of putting this thing on stage. Let me know what you thought, but my opinions on flames haven't changed. They make me annoyed and I'll snap back. But if you've got something nice to say, please do. Also, I do take suggestions kindly, as long as you're polite about them. So please review and let me know your thoughts on this. Love and hugs!**


	3. The Flight

**A/N: ok, chapter three. I dont have much to say right now.

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The next few weeks were fairly uneventful. Everyone got to know Emily a little more and before long she was just as much a part of the gang as anyone else.

'Uh, guys, do we really get to fly first class?' Emily asked as they checked in at the airport. They were heading to LA to help Kenny decide who was going to be their new chorus members.

'Yep.' Ashley replied. 'You'll get used to it. It's actually not as exciting as you'd think. We'll probably take us most of first class except for a few stuffy business men who'll give us evil looks because we're too noisy.' Emily grinned and nodded.

'The one good thing about first class is that every flight attendant has signed a discretion notice. Because they get a lot of celebrities flying with them, they have to sign an agreement that says they wont repeat anything they hear or see. So we can talk about whatever we want and not have to worry about any journalists listening.' Vanessa said gleefully. Emily and Corbin looked at each other, knowing exactly what would happen on the flight.

Sure enough, as soon as they boarded the plane, Zac put his arm around Vanessa and started whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Ashley and Lucas took their seats and immediately started making out.

'Now you see why I hate flying.' Corbin whispered. Emily laughed.

'Is it like this every time?'

'Well at first it was only Nessa and Zac, but since Ash and Lucas started dating, it's been like this every flight. Wait until we start touring. Not only will it be on every flight, but also it'll be in the dressing rooms, hotel rooms and in the buses or vans. Whatever we happen to be travelling in.' Corbin said bitterly. 'Every moment they get alone, they'll be all over each other. Even if we're in the room.'

'Oh. Great.' Emily replied sarcastically. Then Monique leaned over and joined in the conversation.

'I don't think it'll be like this the whole tour. It's because their relationships are fairly new and they have to hide it when they're in public. It'll die down. You know what its like when you start a new relationship.' She said reassuringly. Emily nodded.

'I hope you're right, Mo.' Corbin interjected. 'Because I don't think I can put up with that for a whole year.' Monique laughed.

'Trust me, Corbin; I don't think it's going to be like this for the entire tour. If it is, we'll just have impose some ground rules.' She said with a grin. They all broke out into laughter.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the plane…

'Baby, do you think Corbin and Em and the others feel left out?' Vanessa said, pulling away from the kiss she'd been sharing with Zac.

'No, why?' he asked, placing soft kisses on her neck.

'Zac, stop it. I'm serious. Any free time we have is spent together, and it's the same for Ash and Lucas. The others barely see us anymore, and I feel like we should be spending more time with them. They're our friends, and we barely even talk to them anymore. It's not really fair on them.' she said, looking at Zac seriously. He sighed.

'I know. We should make more of an effort to hang out with them.' he said, moving Vanessa off his lap and getting up to talk to Corbin and Emily.

'Hey guys.' He said as he slid into Monique's recently vacated seat.

'Hey Zac!' Emily replied cheerfully.

'Hey man.' Corbin said, slapping his hand in a high five.

'So what's up?' he asked with a grin.

'Em's getting way too excited about this whole thing.' Corbin said with a laugh. 'Kidding, Em.' He said in response to the dirty look he received. Emily laughed.

'I know. I can't help it if I'm excited. This is a big thing for me. The biggest thing I've ever done actually. I cant help but get a little excited.' She said, bouncing around a little. Zac laughed along with Corbin at the excited brunette.

'You know, you remind me a lot of Vanessa.' Zac said.

'Really? I guess that's why we get along so well.' Em said.

'Sure is!' Vanessa interrupted, throwing herself on Emily in a hug. 'We're going to be the best of friends, I can sense it!' she said. Em laughed. The boys groaned.

'Not another crazy female. That's all we need around here.' Zac said. Vanessa slapped him. 'I mean, yay! Another fun girl to hang out with!' he said with a big fake smile. Vanessa kissed him swiftly.

'That's my boy.'

Corbin pretended to gag. Vanessa slapped him too. Ashley approached them. Without even asking, she knew what was happening.

'The boys are being stupid again, aren't they.' She stated.

'Yep!' Emily and Vanessa chorused. Ashley shook her head.

'Not good enough boys.' She said, staring at Corbin.

'What?' he asked.

'I believe you're in my seat.' She said.

'No I'm not, this is…'

'I believe you're in my seat.' She repeated more firmly, cutting him off. Corbin groaned and stood up. Ashley gleefully took the vacated seat next to Emily and the boys, muttering mutinously, headed over to the other side of the plane. The girls giggled and settled in for the ride.

'Ummm I have something to say.' Vanessa said timidly a few minutes later.

'Yeah?' the girls answered.

'Umm, I just wanted to apologise for how I haven't been spending much time with you guys. I know I've been spending a lot of time with Zac, and I'm going to try to hang out with you guys more.' She said. Emily grinned at her, but Ashley looked a little uncomfortable.

'Ummm well I need to apologise too. I've been hanging out with Lucas too much. I should have been hanging out with you, but instead I've been too busy making out with my boyfriend. I should be more mature than that. So I'm sorry.' She said.

'Its ok.' Emily said.

'Hang on, if we've both been spending time with our boyfriends instead of you, who have you been hanging out with?' Vanessa asked.

'Corbin.' Emily said.

'Oh, you poor thing. It's a wonder you haven't gotten fat!' Ashley said.

'What?'

'Well, hanging out with Corbin, there's sure to have been a lot of eating going on. You know what he's like, its all food, all the time.' She said. Vanessa giggled and Emily grinned.

'Actually, I haven't eaten that much. But I've had to watch him eat a lot!' she said. The three girls burst into laughter.

'We're going to have a great time on this tour, I can tell.' Vanessa said. They spent the rest of the flight laughing and having fun.

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**I know this chapter was really short, but I hit a writer's block and I didn't know what else to put in. I promise the next chapter will be longer. So I'd love it if you'd all review and tell me what you thought of it! Suggestions are appreciated!**


	4. Arrival

**A/N: Chapter 4! They finally get to LA, but still nothing much happens yet. Sorry about that. I will get to the real story line soon, I promise.

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When the plane touched down in LA, everyone disembarked and headed inside to get their luggage. Everyone, that is, except the stars of High School Musical and their Asm. When the plane landed, Emily got up and grabbed her bag ready to get off the plane. Ashley grabbed her arm

'I wouldn't be in too much of a rush.' She said tiredly, stifling a yawn.

'Why not?' Em asked, confusion written all over her face.

'We can't get off until last.' Ashley replied, leaning back against the seat and closing her eyes. Vanessa followed suit.

'And that could be nearly an hour away.' She said, looking as though she wasn't going to be moving for a while. Em was silent as she sat back in her seat, confused, but also a little embarrassed. They gang sat in silence as they waited for everyone else to leave the plane. Vanessa was just drifting off to sleep when they were finally allowed to enter the airport. She grumbled the entire way into the terminal, and when they met up with their driver she only flashed a brief smile before her face dropped again and she continued complaining to Zac about how tired she was.

'I want to sleep.' She groaned as she leaned against Zac in the limo.

'Ummm, can I ask another stupid question?' Emily asked. 'Do you guys always travel in a limo?'

'No, actually we don't. When we're filming we generally ride in a van. But leaving airports and going to events we ride in a limo.' Lucas explained with a smile. Emily nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

'Don't worry about it.' Lucas said, sensing how awkward she felt. 'You're new to this whole thing, and we get it. We were like this at first too. We don't mind if you ask questions. We understand how you feel. So don't ever be embarrassed to ask anything. K?' he said kindly. Emily smiled at him.

'Thanks Lucas.'

'Not a problem.' He said.

'Uh, not to be rude, but could you guys keep it down?' Zac whispered. 'The girls are asleep.' Sure enough, Vanessa and Ashley were fast asleep, Vanessa leaning on Zac, and Ashley leaning on Vanessa. Lucas groaned.

'Great, now I have to carry her up to her room. Either that or wake her. Whatever I chose, it wont be pretty.'

'This is why I'm glad I'm not going out with one of these girls. I don't have to make decisions like that.' Corbin said.

'Wait until one of the others falls asleep. Olesya, Monique, even Em. Then you'll have to make a decision like this, because Zac and I will be too busy with Nessa and Ash.' Lucas retorted. Corbin looked blank. Lucas sighed.

'Never mind, Corbin.' He said, exasperated. Corbin winked at Emily.

'The blank look does it every time. If I don't have anything to say, I pretend not to get it, and they leave me alone.' He whispered. 'But that's just between us, ok?'

'Ok Corbin.' Em said with a laugh. These guys could be so funny.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was nearly midnight. Zac and Lucas were carrying their sleeping girlfriends in their arms. They looked around the lobby expectantly.

'Doesn't an assistant or publicist or something usually meet us here and give us room assignments?' Zac asked. Corbin shook his head.

'For once, I'm the smart one. Haven't you realised what Em is yet? _Assistant_ stage manager. She's checking us in right now.' He said, pointing at the reception desk, where sure enough, Em was standing, receiving room cards and lots of paperwork.

Oh. I hadn't actually thought of her as an assistant. I mean, she's just one of us. She doesn't seem like she should be an assistant.' Zac said. Lucas nodded in agreement. Emily approached them.

'Ok, we're on the 12th floor. Monique, room 1214, Olesya, room 1215, me, room 1216, Vanessa and Zac, room 1217, Ashley, room 1218, Lucas, room 1219, Corbin, room 1220, Chris, room 1221.' She said, handing out room cards to everyone.

'How come you've got so many cards?' Chris asked stupidly. She laughed.

'They're the spares. I'm going to hand them over to you guys, because I think it makes more sense if everyone has someone else's spare, rather than me having all of them. So you can sort out who gets whose. Everyone has 2 spares.' She said, holding the cards out. Monique took them.

'Ok, Well, Ash will want a key to your room, Lucas, so take that one. Nessa's probably going to want Ashley's and yours, Em, so Zac, have those. Corbin, you and Chris can swap, and Olesya and I can swap. Does that cover everyone? Em, it'd probably be a good idea of you kept these, so you can contact everyone.' She finished, handing the rest of the cards back to Emily. With that, they all got into the elevator and headed up to their floor, all of them ready to crash into bed.

However, when Emily entered her room, she stopped dead and stared around in shock.

'Pretty nice, huh.' Zac said as he entered through her still open door.

'Yeah…' she said, still looking around in amazement. A king size bed, several luxurious couches, a huge plasma screen TV, sound system, her own kitchen, and a walk in closet. 'This is great!' she exclaimed.

'Well, I have to say, out of all the hotels we've stayed in, this would probably be the nicest. Definitely the fanciest.' Zac said. 'Pity Nessa's not awake. Trust me, you'll know when she wakes up tomorrow. She always gets so excited over how nice our rooms are. She still hasn't quite gotten used to the fame thing yet.' He said with a laugh. Em sighed with relief.

'So I'm not the only one who thinks this is all really cool?'

'Nah, we all get like it sometimes, not quite believing its real and stuff. But don't ever take it for granted, because once its gone, you'll really notice.' He advised. She laughed.

'I'll remember that.' She said, exploring the room. Zac took a seat on the couch. He couldn't help but think how easy she was to get along with. Everybody liked her, and they hadn't yet found a single thing annoying about her. In fact, she reminded him a lot of Vanessa. She had clicked with everyone straight away, and after being a little shy for the first 2 days or so, she was now obviously feeling completely comfortable around everyone. He could tell she was going to be good to have around. Just as he was thinking this, she plopped down on the couch next to him. She held out a packet of chocolate chip cookies, offering him one, which he gladly accepted.

'So…' he said '…how are you feeling about this whole project of ours?'

' A little nervous.' She admitted. 'But I'm also so excited! I've never done anything this big, and with the amount I'm being paid, I could retire after we finish touring and still be able to afford to send my kids to a good college.' She said, a hint of laughter in her eyes.

'I know exactly what you mean.' Zac replied, stretching out on the couch.

'I doubt I'm being paid anywhere near as much as you are. But you're a big star and I'm a nobody stage manager who no-one's ever heard of.' She said with a grin. It was obvious that this fact didn't bother her.

'Well once we've finished this tour you wont be a nobody. You'll be the most sought after stage manager in the world.' He said, taking another cookie. She laughed.

'Well thank you for the vote of confidence.'

'We believe in you, Em. Kenny too. He wouldn't have hired you if he didn't think you were good enough. I can tell, you're going to be the best stage manager ever.' He said with a smile. She smiled back at him.

'Thank you. That means a lot.'

'No problem at all. But I should be going. I have to get back to my girlfriend and get some sleep. It is, after all, almost 1am. So goodnight Em, and I will see you in the morning.' He said with a wink. With that, he left the room and Em stayed seated on the couch, still eating her cookies.

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**Another short chapter, but it seemed like a good place to finish. I promise Emily is not going to be a threat to Zac and Vanessa, just in case anyone was thinking it. However, there is a special friendship blooming here…I can feel it. Even though I'm the writer and I'm supposed to know these things…this is something unexplainable. Anyway…please review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter.**


	5. Unexpected new cast member

**A/N: Ok, I am soooo sorry for not updating in...ages. I've had exams and stuff and university applications so i hope you all understand that I've been crazy busy. But here is Chapter 5! They start rehearsals for the show! Now, I'd just like to say that the musical is of the first HSM, not the second. So it'll have all the original songs in it.

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The next day they started work on the show. It had been adapted to fit the stage, several scenes had been cut, and some re-written. The Cast and Emily had to sit in on final auditions, to determine who they felt should be accepted into their cast. It was the beginning of a very tiring week. For 6 days they sat in a dance studio, watching people dance and hearing them sing. By the end of the week they were all exhausted and were longing to see daylight. They'd been in the studio from 8 in the morning to 6 at night everyday.

'Oh my gosh, I am so tired. I haven't seen the light if day since Sunday!' Lucas complained as they climbed into the van on Saturday, the last day of auditions.

'I know.' Ashley groaned, leaning against him. He didn't even have the strength to put his arm around her. They were all mentally exhausted. 6 days of sitting in an artificially lit room watching people dance and sing was extremely tiring, even though they weren't actually doing anything. Vanessa leaned against Zac and closed her eyes with a yawn.

'Don't you dare fall asleep, Vanessa Anne.' He said. 'I am not carrying you up to our room again, I'm too tired to pick you up.' He said, also yawning. It would seem that yawns were catching, as Em also yawned and then leaned against Vanessa.

'Urgh…' Vanessa groaned '…Em, if you fall asleep on me, I'll kill you.' Emily grinned sleepily and sat up.

'The last thing I need right now is to be killed.' She said as she leaned backwards against her seat. The rest of the ride back to the hotel was silent. When the van finally pulled up, they barely had the energy to get out and go inside. Corbin couldn't help but laugh as yet again Lucas and Zac had to carry Ashley and Vanessa to their rooms. Em stumbled blindly into her room and collapsed on the bed, only having the strength to pull off her jeans and t-shirt. She crawled under the covers in a singlet and underwear and fell asleep almost instantly.

Zac put Vanessa down on the bed and went to the bathroom. When he re-entered the room, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, having just woken up, her eyes out of focus and her face tired. He laughed softly at her.

'What?' she asked irritably. He held up his hands in defense.

'Nothing, baby.' He said, placing a soft kiss on her lips. 'Get into bed and go to sleep.' He whispered, resting his forehead against hers. She nodded tiredly and climbed under the covers and was asleep within minutes. Zac undressed and got in next to her, placing an arm around her as she subconsciously curled her body into his. He fell asleep in the same position as he had every night since he and Vanessa had first become a couple.

The next day was a day off, and most of the cast spent it sleeping. The day after that, however, they started rehearsals. Everyone was so excited; they couldn't wait to start rehearsing. There were 2 things that made it less fun. The first thing was that they wouldn't get to hang out with Emily as much, as she had to start sifting through paperwork and making arrangements for the tour. The other thing was that the cast thought they wouldn't have to do much. They knew all the daces already, right? No, not right. Most of them had been changed to fit the stage, and there were a lot more people in them. Rehearsals ended up being exactly the same as the intense dance training they had undertaken for both movies.

One week later they were once again exhausted.

'Oh my gosh, I cant move.' Vanessa groaned as the van pulled up outside the hotel. 'I think I'll just sleep here tonight, Zac.' She said as everyone else climbed out slowly and carefully, so as not to injure themselves more.

'You will not.' Zac said. 'And don't even think of asking me to carry you to our room. I have not got the energy.' He continued with a yawn. She pouted and he turned his head away.

'The pout is not going to work. Now, come on, get out of the van.' He said, still facing away from her. She grinned and leaned forward, pinching his butt. He jumped slightly and turned to face her. She smiled innocently at him.

'What?' she asked. He shook his head at her and took her hand as they made their way inside.

Later that night, around 7.30, Vanessa fell asleep while she was watching TV. Zac put her to bed and tucked the covers around her before making his way over to Em's room. It had become a tradition that they have late night chats, often accompanied by cookies, or sometimes popcorn.

'Hey.' He said as she opened the door. She grinned at him.

'Hey yourself.' She replied, opening the door wider to let him in. he sat down on the couch and grinned at the packet of cookies on the coffee table. He immediately reached for one.

'Mmm, chocolate chip, my favourite.' He said as he took as bite. Em laughed as she sat down next to him.

'Mine too.' She said. Taking one for herself. They sat in comfortable silence for a minute before Zac spoke.

'So, Miss Em, how was your day?'

'Ummm, it was ok. I'm so sick of paper! I have spent a whole week in a small office with no windows, buried in mountains of paper work!' she exclaimed, finally letting out some of the frustration that had been building up all week. But she hadn't finished. The rant continued.

'You're the only one I've seen all week. The others, Ash, Nessa and everyone, I've barely seen them. And when I have, they've been to exhausted to talk. I feel like a hermit. I feel so distant from everyone. It's like high school all over again. You guys are there, but you're distant, and I feel like I don't belong because I haven't been there to experience that new dance, or the way they changed that song. I feel like the outsider, like I don't belong with you guys, and I hate it!' she cried, saying everything she'd been feeling all week but had been too afraid to say. Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks.

'Hey, there is no way that you don't belong.' Zac said softly. 'You are just as much a part of the group as everyone else. Don't ever think that you don't belong. I'm sorry we've made you feel like that. I didn't mean to, and I'm sure no one else did either.' He said, pulling her into a hug. For a while she just cried, and he comforted her. When she finally stopped sobbing, Zac brushed her hair away from her face and wiped away the last traces of tears. She smiled softly at him.

'Thanks.' Was all she said.

'Its ok. What are friends for?' he replied, hugging her briefly once more. 'But I have to go.' He said regretfully. 'Nessa's sleeping and I should get back. Are you going to be ok?'

'Yeah I'm ok.' She said. 'Go and be with Nessa. I'll see you in the morning.' He grinned at her and stood up.

'See you tomorrow, Em.'

'Bye Zac.'

Once he left she put the cookies away for next time and climbed into bed. She felt a lot better after having told Zac how she felt. She was so glad she had him to talk to. He was the best friend she had right now, and to her, that made him the most precious thing in the world. She fell asleep dreading the next day, but still hoping that it might be different. Little did she know, her whole job was about to change.

'Emily!' Kenny called out at rehearsal the next day.

'Yes Kenny?' she came scurrying up, arms full of paper, glasses only just balancing on her nose. Kenny smiled down at her. She'd been working so hard and he'd noticed. But he knew there was something she was itching to do. And he thought he'd finally figured it out.

'We have just realised we have no understudies. We would like you to audition so we can get a grasp of your singing and dancing abilities. If you are good enough to be a part of this cast, you will become the female understudy. Before you ask why, we need someone who knows the lines of the show. You know the entire show inside out and upside down. So we would like you to audition next week. For the rest of this week you will work with Vanessa, Ashley, Zac and Lucas to learn the audition material. It all comes straight from the show.' He said before walking briskly away.

Emily's face lit up. She loved performing; she had been a dancer since she was 4. This was a dream come true. She wheeled around to see Ashley and Vanessa staring at her with ecstatic looks on their faces. She grinned at them and the three of them squealed excitedly.

'Oh my gosh!' Ashley squealed. 'You get to perform with us!'

'I know!' Em squealed back, jumping up and down with excitement. Zac and Lucas approached them with huge grins on their faces.

'Did you hear?' Vanessa asked.

'Sure did!' Lucas replied, giving Em a hug.

'Well done buddy. No more paper, huh?' Zac asked with a wink. Em laughed and hugged him.

'Well, not for the next week at least.' She said with a grin. Zac laughed with her.

'Now come on, lets go teach you to sing and dance!' Ashley said, talking Em's hand and pulling her towards a rehearsal room. Vanessa took her other hand and they chatted happily as they headed into the room. Em stared around her in awe. She'd never been into the rehearsal rooms, and they were amazing! Tall ceilings, a wall lined with mirrors, and hard wood floors. But her favourite part was the sun streaming in the huge windows. Compared to the office she'd been hidden in for the last week or so, this place was a palace.

'Ok.' Lucas said, breaking her train of thought. 'We'll start with dancing I think. Kenny wants us to teach you "we're all in this together." So we'll do that first and then get into some singing. K?'

'Sounds good to me.' Em replied. They started off demonstrating the dance to her, and then they broke it down step by step. It took less than an hour to teach her the whole first half of the dance. It had been rearranged to fit the stage, and now the entire thing was choreographed.

'Wow. I never knew you could dance.' Vanessa said as they took a break. Emily nodded.

'Yeah, I've been dancing since I was 4. I love it. I get a kick out of performing.'

'Don't we all.' Vanessa laughed. Zac came and sat with them.

'You're doing great out there.' He said as he put his arm around Vanessa, kissing her cheek softly.

'Well thank you baby.' Vanessa replied. Zac laughed, shaking his head.

'Not you, hun. Em.' He said with a grin. Vanessa laughed.

'I know. I'm kidding. But you're right. You're doing an awesome job, Em.' She agreed.

'Thanks guys.' Em replied shyly.

'Come on, you guys!' Lucas called from across the room.

'He is such a slave driver.' Vanessa grumbled. Zac stood up and offered a hand to both Vanessa and Emily. They gratefully accepted and he pulled them up off the floor.

The rest of the day was spent dancing and when they finally left, Em had successfully learnt the entire dance to "we're all in this together".

'Oh my gosh, I finally understand all the complaining you guys have been doing over the last week.' Em grumbled as she sat in the van, her head on Corbin's shoulder.

'See? We're not such cry babies now, are we?' Lucas asked jokingly.

'It's all well and good for you guys, you spent the day re-doing something we've already learnt.' Corbin complained. 'But I had to learn an entirely new dance with Monique, and I am tired and sore. So seriously, Em, if you don't get off me, I may not be able to walk tomorrow.' Emily didn't reply.

'She's asleep.' Zac whispered. Corbin groaned.

'I suppose I'll have to carry her to her room, wont I?' he said with a grimace.

'Nah, I'll take her.' Zac said. 'Nessa's awake for once. Right Ness?'

'Yeah, only just.' Vanessa mumbled.

'Do not fall asleep, coz I cant carry you and Em and I really don't think Corbin's going to be able to carry Em in.' Zac replied. Vanessa laughed.

'I'll stay awake, I promise.' She said. 'Besides, if I'm not asleep already…' she trailed off, not wanting to say what she really meant, but every person in the van knew what she was talking about.

'Nesquick, please do not say such things while we're in hearing distance of you.' Ashley mumbled from her position curled up against Lucas. The rest of the occupants of the van agreed. Vanessa blushed and mumbled an apology. However, when she looked back at Zac, she winked suggestively at him and he nodded quickly. Her face split into a grin and as the van sped towards the hotel, it didn't leave her face.

When they arrived, Zac carried Em upstairs and put her to bed, tucking the covers around her tenderly before making his way back to his own room where Vanessa was waiting for him.

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**Well this chapter is longer. I still promise that Em will not be a threat to Zac and Vanessa. I'm not sure if I'll put any drama in here or not. I don't know if I can be bothered. I like the way it's going at the moment. But if you think otherwise, let me know. Also, I am now asking for suggestions. If you want drama, let me know what you think I should put in. don't be offended if I don't use your idea though, I may not use any. So let me know your thoughts on this. Pretty please?**


	6. Christmas

**A/N: Oh my gosh, I am so sorry about the entire lack of update. It's been so crazy around here and I simply haven't had time. I am so so so sorry! But here is the long awaited chapter 6. This is pretty much full of Zanessa fluff. Yay! And once again, sorry about the lack of update.

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**

A few weeks passed of rehearsals and then Vanessa's birthday came around. Kenny gave everyone the day off because he didn't think it was fair to make Vanessa rehearse on her birthday. The day was spent relaxing in the hotel. It was pretty low key, but they did go out for a formal dinner and took the opportunity to dress up. Later on, after they'd returned from the dinner, Vanessa and Zac were sitting on their balcony wrapped in a blanket and staring out at the sky. They sat in comfortable silence for a while before Zac spoke.

'So, Nessa, I haven't given you a gift yet…' he said a little nervously. Vanessa's face lit up.

'No you haven't.' She said excitedly. Zac pulled out a small gift bag and handed it to her. Inside were several wrapped packages. The first contained a large bar of chocolate.

'I was a little nervous about the other gifts, so I decided to get you some chocolate because I knew you would definitely love it.' Zac explained. Vanessa laughed and kissed him.

'Of course I'll love what you buy me, you know me better than most people in the world, so I know you'll get me great gifts.' She said as she pulled out the next package. It contained a shirt she'd been looking at while they were at the mall last week. She squealed excitedly and hugged Zac.

'I didn't think you'd taken any notice of this!' She said as she held it up to look at it properly. Zac grinned. So far, so good. The next package contained a white teddy bear the same as the one he'd given her the night he told her how he felt about her. She grinned as she pulled it out of the wrapping paper.

'I know you already have one, but this one is to make them a pair. You know, to resemble us.' Zac said a little nervously, blushing slightly. Vanessa gasped as her eyes filled with tears.

'Oh my gosh, that is the most romantic thing you've ever done!' She gushed as she hugged him tightly around the neck. He grinned, glad she had liked all the gifts so far. The next one was the most important. When Vanessa finally unwrapped it, her eyes filled with tears again. She stared at the necklace she was holding and her breath caught in her throat. She held it up in front of her and it glistened in the moonlight. Hanging from the thin silver chain was a star inside a circle. Exactly the same as the necklace Zac always wore. The only difference was that he had engraved "I love you" into the back of the star.

'Oh my…It's so beautiful!' she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. Zac stared at her intently. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide and full of emotion.

'Thank you Zac. This is the most wonderful gift I've ever received.' She said softly, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. He kissed the top of her head lightly and she pulled out of the hug, kissing him firmly on the lips. He deepened the kiss and the next thing they knew they'd somehow made it inside the room.

Later on, as they lay curled up together in bed, almost asleep, Vanessa thought about the wonderful day she'd had.

'Thank you, Zac.' She whispered. 'You gave me the best birthday ever. I love you.'

'I love you too, Nessa.' He replied sleepily. They fell asleep contentedly, both with smiles on their faces.

The next couple of weeks continued as normal and finally Christmas rolled around. Kenny gave everyone a week off to go home and be with their families. So on the 23rd of December, with smiles on their faces and bags full of presents, they all travelled home. Vanessa, Zac, Ashley and Emily were all being driven home in the same car. Ashley was saying a very intimate goodbye to Lucas while everyone else was waiting in the car, growing more and more impatient.

'Come on, Ash! You'll see him in a week, and I can guarantee you'll talk to each other every night!' Em yelled. Ashley ignored her and continued making out with Lucas.

'Blondie! Get in the damn car!' Zac called out. She ignored him too. After Vanessa had tried, and Em had tried again, Zac eventually got out of the car and pulled Ashley away from Lucas, dragging her into the car with him. Ashley rolled down the window and called out a sickeningly sweet goodbye as the car drove off.

Em was the first one to be dropped off at her house. She bid her goodbyes quickly and the car was on its way within 5 minutes.

'see, Ash, that's how you say a quick goodbye.' Vanessa teased. Ashley made a face at her and turned to stare out the window. Not too long later, they arrived at her house.

'Well that's me! Have a great Christmas guys! Love you both, see you in a week!' she said as she hugged them and went into her house.

'Well that was relatively quick and painless. Why couldn't she say goodbye to Lucas like that?' Zac asked. Vanessa laughed.

'I have no idea.' The spent the short ride teasing each other and talking and making out a little. Eventually they pulled up in front of Zac's house. As the driver got out to get Zac's luggage, Zac and Vanessa stood on the sidewalk with their arms around each other, Vanessa crying hard.

'Couldn't we just get back into the car and go back to the hotel?' Vanessa asked seriously. Zac chuckled softly.

'I'm afraid not.' Vanessa pouted and made the puppy dog face at Zac. It didn't work the same way while she was crying. Zac told her so. She just buried her head in his shoulder and cried some more.

'I love you, baby girl. And I'll see you soon, I promise. I'll come visit, ok?' Zac said softly. Vanessa sniffled and nodded.

'I have to go in. I'll call you tonight.'

'Ok. I love you.' Vanessa replied and kissed him. He kissed back and they continued kissing for a few minutes before they needed air.

'Talk to you later.' Zac said, kissing her once quickly before going inside. Vanessa got back into the car and the driver headed towards her house.

When Vanessa arrived home, Stella was waiting on the front step for her. As soon as the car pulled up, Stella leaped to her feet and called to her parents.

'MOM! DAD! Nessa's here!' she screamed, running towards her sister and throwing her arms around her.

'Hey Stell! How've you been?' Vanessa asked, glad to see her sister again.

'I've been good. I'm so excited that you're back! I can't wait for Christmas!'

'Me neither.' Vanessa replied. She then greeted her parents who were waiting inside the house for her and spent a couple of hours talking with her family and catching up with all the news. A little while after dinner she headed upstairs to get ready for bed. She crawled into bed and immediately called Zac.

'Hey Ness.' He said as he picked up the phone.

'Hey baby. I miss you. How's your family?'

'A little crazy. Dylan's missed annoying me so much that he won't leave me alone for a second. My mom keeps telling me how much weight I've lost, but then she does that every time I come home. That's what moms do, isn't it?'

'Yeah, I guess it must be, cause my mom's doing it too.' Vanessa laughed. 'So what are your plans for tomorrow?'

'Ummm I'm not sure. Probably not very much. What about you?'

'Stella and Mom both mentioned wrapping presents and cooking, so my guess is I'll spend the day wrapping presents and cooking. How fun.' Vanessa said sarcastically. Zac laughed.

'That sounds like a lot of fun to me.'

'Of course it sounds like fun to you! You're not the one who'll be doing all that wrapping and cooking. You and Dylan will spend the entire day lazing around the house, playing your X-Box and watching TV while your poor mother does all the work.'

'So what? I'm a 19 year old male. Its my job to laze around.'

'Zac! Your job is to be a good boyfriend and a good son and to act, dance and sing until you can't anymore. And you will help your mother tomorrow, even if it's only for an hour.'

'Awww, what? Damn, woman how is it you can always make me do things I don't want to do?' Zac groaned.

'It's a special power that only I as your girlfriend possess.' Vanessa said with superiority.

'Yeah, yeah, all right. I miss you.'

'I know how you feel. Hey, do you reckon Ash and Lucas are having a similar conversation to this right now?'

'Yeah, probably. Only theirs probably includes a lot more stupid pet names and will finish with "you hang up! No, You hang up!" It's ridiculous.'

'I know.' Vanessa laughed. 'We weren't like that when we first got together were we?'

'No we most certainly were not.' Zac said indignantly.

'Thank goodness. Sometimes, they're a little bit too cute. You know what I mean?'

'Yeah I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes they make me want to hurl.' Zac said. Vanessa laughed.

'Oh crap, I've gotta go, Ness.'

'Awww, do you have to?' She whined.

'Yeah. Sorry baby. I'll call you tomorrow. I love you.'

'Love you too.' She said as she hung up. Not too long later she fell asleep, resting for the very long and boring day that lay ahead of her.

The next day passed very slowly for Vanessa. For Zac however, the day flew by, in a whirl of X-Box and TV. He did, however, spend one hour helping his mother, just as he'd promised Vanessa he would. When the day was finally almost over, he dialled Vanessa's number. She answered on the first ring.

'Hey baby.'

'Hey yourself. Big day?' He asked, in response to her weary voice.

'You could say that. How was your day? Did you help your mother?' she asked sternly.

'why, yes I did, actually.' Zac replied proudly. Vanessa laughed.

'Good. I'm proud of you. Excited about tomorrow?'

'Yeah, I guess. I think it's going to be pretty low key though. Can't say I'm disappointed. I've had enough of big crowds of people.'

'I know the feeling. However, for one more day I'm going to have to deal with it. It's going to be pretty crazy here tomorrow.'

'You poor thing.' Zac said.

'Nah, its not so bad. I mean, they are my family after all. It'll just be a little bit crazy is all.'

'Well then I better let you get some sleep. You're going to need it to deal with all those people and excitement tomorrow.' Zac laughed.

'No, it's ok, I can talk for a little longer. I like hearing your voice. I don't miss you as much when I'm talking to you.'

'Awww sweetie, I miss you too. It won't be too long til we're back at the hotel and we're reahearsing again. How fun.'

'Well being back at the hotel will be nice. The rehearsing…not so fun.' Vanessa said.

'Very true. I hate not having you in bed with me when I'm trying to fall asleep.'

'Me too. My bed feels so much colder than the one at the hotel, simply because you're not in it with me.'

'I get your point exactly. But all this talk about beds is making me tired. Plus, you need to sleep for your big day tomorrow.'

'Yeah I guess. I'll talk to you tomorrow night?'

'Yep. Have a great day tomorrow, baby girl. I love you.'

'Love you too.' Vanessa said as she hung up and crawled into bed. She fell asleep almost instantly, but was rudely awakened a little after midnight by the sound of her cell phone receiving a message. She groaned loudly, rolling over to find the offending object. She grabbed the phone and flipped it open, squinting her eyes against the light emanating from it. a few minutes later when her eyes had adjusted, she was able to read the message. It was from Zac.

_Merry Christmas Nessa baby. I love you._

Vanessa grinned to herself and replied to the message.

_Merry Christmas to you too baby. I love you more than you'll ever know._

She set her phone back on her bedside table and tried to go back to sleep, but a minute or so later, her phone went off again. This time, the message was from Ashley.

_Merry Christmas, Ness! Haha you were asleep! Now you're not! Have a great day! Give Zac a kiss for me! Haha, joking. Love ya! _

Vanessa giggled out loud. It amazed her how Ashley could still talk a mile a minute even when she wasn't actually talking. She replied to Ashley's message and then figured that while she was awake, she might as well send some Christmas messages to her other friends.

15 messages later, she decided she should probably go back to sleep so she wasn't a zombie in the morning. So she fell back against her pillows and fell asleep a few minutes later. She woke up at 7 when Stella jumped on her bed screaming at her to get up. Her phone was blinking at her. Her inbox was full of messages from her friends, especially the cast of the muscial. Corbin's message in particular made her giggle.

_Merry Christmas, V. Have some pie for me!!!_

Was food all he ever thought about?

The day was spent the way most Christmas's are. Lots of food, family, excitement and of course, presents. Later in the evening, when she was finally able to escape to her room, she called Zac.

'Hey gorgeous. How was your day?' he said when he answered the phone.

'It was good. But I'm tired.'

'I can imagine. So what presents did you get?'

'Oh, you know, clothes, CD's, DVD's, jewellery. The usual. What about you?'

'Pretty much the same. Except I got a new TV as well. It was pretty thrilling.' Zac said sarcastically. Vanessa laughed.

'And I bet you ate far too much and have spent the last 2 hours or so laying down, trying not to throw up?'

'Yeah…something like that.' Zac answered sheepishly. Vanessa laughed again.

'I know you too well.'

'Yes you do. So how'd it go with your family?'

'It was good. It was really nice to see everyone again. I hadn't realised how much I missed them.' Vanessa said.

'Speaking of which…' Zac said '..I miss you.'

'I know. I miss you too. When are you coming to see me?'

'I'm not sure. I was thinking maybe tomorrow.' Zac held thr phone away from his ear as Vanessa squealed excitedly.

'Really? You're coming tomorrow?'

'Yeah. Bright and early. I'm going to take you out for a day of fun.'

'Yay! I do believe that I owe you a present.' Vanessa said.

'Ah, yes you do. And I owe you one as well.'

'It's going to have to be pretty fabulous to beat my gorgeous birthday present.'

'Oh, it's very fabulous. You're going to love it, I promise. But anyway…I think I might head off to bed now. I'm very exhausted. I had this genius idea to message my girlfriend in the middle of the night and I had trouble getting back to sleep afterwards.'

'really? Because your girlfriend had no trouble at all getting back to sleep and was woken up at 7am by her sister from a very nice dream about her gorgeous and sexy boyfriend.' Vanessa teased.

'is that right?' Zac asked. 'And what did this dream entail exactly?'

'You came to visit me. and you brought me a puppy. And we sat on the porch looking at the sunset while the puppy played in the backyard. And you weren't wearing a shirt.' She added cheekily. Zac laughed.

'Well I'm coming to visit tomorrow. However, I'm not bringing a puppy. And I'll most likely be wearing a shirt.'

'Not if I have any say in it.' Vanessa replied.

'Well, I can't say no to that, can I?' Zac joked. Vanessa laughed at him.

'Well as long as theres something in it for you, why would you want to?'

'Exactly right. Ok, well that's settled. I'll be there bright and early tomorrow morning, without a shirt on.'

'good. I will see you then. Love you baby.'

'Love you too Ness.' Zac replied softly before hanging up the phone. He couldn't wait to see her tomorrow. He had the most fantastic present planned, and he couldn't wait to see her face when he gave it to her. Vanessa was equally as excited about the day ahead. They both fell asleep that night with smiles on their faces, hardly able to wait to see what tomorrow was going to bring.

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**Wow that chapter was amazingly long. I think that's the longest chapter I've ever written. Yay me! Haha. Anyways…let me know what you thought of that…I decided a little Zanessa fluff was in order because we haven't had much yet. So there we are. Yay! Please review…they make me happy.**


	7. The day of fun

**A/N: Chapter 7. This is pretty much full of Zanessa fluff. Yay!

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The next day Vanessa woke up with an excited feeling in her stomach. For a moment she couldn't remember why she was so excited and then it all came back to her. Zac was coming today. And he was taking her out for the day. She leapt out of bed and ran downstairs for breakfast. Her mother greeted her in the kitchen with a plate of waffles and a tall glass of orange juice.

Not too long later Vanessa was waiting by the front door. She knew Zac would be there soon and she couldn't wait. His present was sitting in her bag next to her and she was so nervous about it that she kept checking it was definitely there. When she finally saw him pull up outside the house she gave a squeal of excitement, called goodbye to her family and ran out the front door towards him. She dropped her bag and threw her arms around him as he wrapped his around her waist, lifting her into the air.

'Miss me?' he asked when he set her back down.

'More than you know.' she said as she kissed him passionately.

'So I see.' Zac joked. Vanessa grinned at him.

'Have I told you recently how much I love you?'

'Yes, I'm sure you have, but you can tell me again if you want.'

'Well, I love you more than life itself, Zac Efron.'

'Is that right? Well I feel the same.' Zac said as he pulled her into another kiss.

'So are you ready for this big day I have planned for you?'

'Yes I am. I can't wait. So what are we doing first?'

'Ahh, well you'll just have to wait and see, Miss Hudgens. But I assure you, you're going to love it.' he said, opening the car door for her. She giggled at the gesture.

'You're so goofy.'

'But that's why you love me.' Zac replied, leaning down to kiss her. He got into the drivers seat and started the car. He pulled onto the highway a little while later and headed towards his destination.

'Zac, where are we going?'

'Nessa baby, if you ask me that one more time I will gag you.' He joked. She giggled.

'Ok. Are we there yet?' she teased. He laughed with her. All he could think about was how much he'd missed her. He was so excited about spending the day with her. And he couldn't wait to give her the Christmas present he'd spent so long working on. Apparently while he was lost in his thoughts, Vanessa got bored, so she turned the radio on.

'Why bother listening to the radio?' Zac said as he pressed play on the CD player. A song filled the car and a smile appeared on Vanessa's face.

'Wow, I haven't heard this in forever!' she said as she listened. When it got to the chorus she started to sing along. Zac smiled as she sang. He loved her singing voice.

_I've hit the highway_

_And I'm not coming home_

_I'm gonna drive_

_I'll do it my way_

_I'll call you on the phone when I arrive_

_It's all I've got _

_And I'm not gonna stop for no one_

_In my way as long as I'm alive_

_I'm gonna drive _

She started to laugh as the second verse began.

'I can't believe you've got this in your car. Is the album?'

'Yep!' Zac said proudly. Vanessa grinned.

'Why are you playing my album in your car?'

'Because when I'm away from my gorgeous girlfriend, I like to listen to her beautiful voice while I'm driving. Makes me not miss her as much.'

'Is that right? And who is this gorgeous girlfriend of yours? Do I know her?' Vanessa joked. Zac poked her in the ribs, causing her to squeal and wiggle away from him.

'Ha ha, Ness. You know that secretly you love the fact that I play your album in my car.'

'You're damn right I do. I think it's the sweetest thing in the world.' She said, placing her hand on his leg. After about half an hour of driving Zac stopped the car. They were at a beach. Vanessa looked horrified.

'Zac! I didn't bring a swimsuit!' she cried. Zac grinned.

'We're not swimming. We're eating.' He said as he led her down the road a little. The reached a small café. They walked into the tiny room and saw not a single other person there. A table was set next to the window. Placed on the table were 2 plates of burger and fries and 2 tall glasses of coke. Vanessa looked at Zac curiously. He grinned.

'Why go to a fancy restaurant when we can have a burger and fries in a tiny café by the beach?' He asked. Vanessa smiled. To her, this was perfect. They sat down at the table and ate their meal while staring out the window at the waves crashing onto the sand. When they'd finished, Zac stood and offered his hand to Vanessa. 'Don't we need to pay?' she asked innocently. Zac smiled.

'Its all taken care of.' He said as he led her back out to the car. Vanessa grinned. Zac had never done anything like this for her before, so she was excited to see where they were going next. After driving for quite some time, Zac stopped the car. As far as Vanessa could tell, they were just in an average car park. She had no idea why they were there but after a few minutes of walking down the street she squealed excitedly and hugged Zac. There in front of them was a street carnival.

'Have I mentioned how much I love you?' Vanessa said as they walked leisurely towards the carnival. Zac laughed.

'I'm sure you have. But you can never tell me too many times.' He replied as he took her hand and they started to explore the carnival.

The next few hours were spent at the carnival. Both Zac and Vanessa had the time of their lives and were sad to leave.

'Cant we stay a little longer?' Vanessa pleaded as Zac led her away.

'No we can't. I still have a few surprises up my sleeve and if we don't leave now then my entire schedule will be ruined!' Zac stated. Minutes later they were back in the car and were driving. They ended up at Vanessa's house.

'Zac? Why are we back at my house?' Vanessa asked, slightly disappointed. Zac laughed.

'Don't worry; this is not the end of the day. We are spending the night at a surprise location and you need to get some overnight stuff.' Zac said cryptically. Vanessa's face lifted and she ran into the house and quickly grabbed some things for the night. She wasn't sure where they were staying, so she grabbed some practical pajamas as well as a negligee that was only for Zac's benefit. When she was ready she raced back downstairs and into the car where Zac was waiting.

'About time!' Zac exclaimed as Vanessa climbed into the car, throwing her bag into the backseat. She glared at him and he laughed.

'I'm kidding, Ness. Now lets get on our way, shall we?'

'Heck yes! Lets go!' Vanessa said excitedly.

Not too long later they arrived at a small house right near the beach. Zac opened the door and ushered Vanessa inside. The house was furnished beautifully and had the most amazing view. It wasn't a huge house, but it was absolutely gorgeous and Vanessa stared around herself in amazement, completely in love with this beautiful house she was standing in.

'Zac this house is amazing! Whose is it?'

'Ahh, well that's for me to know and you to find out.' Zac said mysteriously. Vanessa slapped him playfully as she ran off to explore the house. Zac closed the door behind him before taking Vanessa's bag to the bedroom they would be using.

Later that night a pizza was delivered without either Zac or Vanessa having made a call, and Vanessa was shocked to find that it had been paid for. She was also shocked to discover that the fridge and cupboards in the house were fully stocked. It was as though this house had been borrowed from someone just for the night. Vanessa was completely confused about whose house this was and why they were there. Little did she know, Zac had the biggest surprise of the day ready to be presented.

As Zac and Vanessa sat on the couch watching TV, a thought occurred to Vanessa.

'Zac, I haven't given you your Christmas present!' she exclaimed as she rushed for her bag and pulled out a small box. Zac grinned at her as she came back to the couch and handed him the box.

'Merry Christmas, Zachary.' She said as she leaned in and kissed him. It didn't take long for the present to be forgotten as they made out on the couch for a while. It wasn't until Vanessa rolled onto the box that she remembered it was there.

'Zac! You have to open your present!' she said as she handed it to him again. He pulled the ribbon off and took the top off the box. There, nestled inside the box on a bed of tissue paper were several documents. Zac pulled them out of the box and read them all.

'A plane ticket to Australia!' he exclaimed as he looked at the first one. Vanessa laughed.

'I have one as well. It's a trip for 2. Just to re-visit some old memories.' She said, looking slightly nervous about the gift. Zac kissed her quickly.

'This is amazing. We get to go back to Australia!' he exclaimed as he pulled out the next document.

'A cruise?' he asked incredulously.

'Yeah. Leaving from Australia and dropping us off in England from where we will then travel to London.' Vanessa replied, yet again, feeling as though maybe this gift wasn't as good as she thought. Zac looked into her eyes and grinned at her and all of a sudden she didn't feel so bad anymore.

'This is…amazing! Again. You must have put so much thought into this!' Zac said as he pulled out the next document. 'Tickets from London to Toronto?'

'Yeah. Ummm I was trying to get us to places that we have good memories from.'

The next document was a plane ticket from Toronto to Salt Lake City. Their 'world tour' then took them to New York before it finished up back in LA, where they would spend a couple of nights in a hotel before returning to everyday life. Every night of accommodation was booked in a 5 star hotel and every good memory they had from each place they'd been to was re-created exactly as it was. Zac was amazed that Vanessa had put so much thought and planning into this gift.

'Nessa, this is the most thoughtful, amazing gift I have ever received. Thank you. So much. God, I love you.' Zac stammered before his desires got the best of him and he threw himself onto Vanessa, kissing her passionately, his hands on her waist, while hers tangled in his hair. One thing led to another, and as expected, they ended up in bed. Later as they lay entwined in one another's arms, both were thinking the same thing. Each was enjoying the feeling of being the other's arms and was marveling at how being apart for those few days only made them want each other more.

'I love you.' Vanessa whispered as she nuzzled Zac's neck. He grinned and pulled her closer to him.

'I love you too. And I love the amazing Christmas gift you just gave me.'

'Well I was a little worried, especially as it doesn't look like much. It's only loads of paper.' Vanessa said slowly, biting her lip. Zac laughed.

'Yes, that gift was amazing, but I meant the one you _just _gave me.' he said, as he winked suggestively. Vanessa giggled.

'I believe it should be me thanking you.' She said softly as she placed feather light kisses on Zac's jaw line. He captured her lips with his and as their tongues battled, their hands roamed and yet again one thing led to another.

Later again, they lay together, yet slightly more exhausted than last time.

'Ness, I didn't give you your gift yet, and after the amazing gift you gave me, and I mean the actual gift, the trip and everything, I feel like I didn't put enough thought into it.' Zac said, not sure that Vanessa was going to think his gift was good enough. He knew she'd like it, but he was worried she was going to think that he hadn't thought enough about it.

'Zac, you haven't even given me the gift yet and I know I'm going to love it. Everything you buy me means the world to me. Even if it's something tiny. So please don't ever think that anything you buy me isn't good enough.' Vanessa said as she snuggled closer to Zac. He was amazed that such a simple gesture could relax him. All of a sudden he was no longer worried about his gift.

'Nessa, your gift is this house.' He said softly. She looked at him in astonishment.

'Can you repeat that please?'

'Your gift is this house. I bought it for you. It's not too far from your parent's house, and not too far from my house. Its got 3 bedrooms so you can have several people staying over at one time and it's near the beach because I know how much you love the beach.' Zac said, hoping that the look on her face meant that she was shocked in a good way. Vanessa stared at Zac for a few full minutes before saying anything.

'So you're telling me that this house is mine. As in, I own it and can live in it.' she said, her voice sounding sort of hollow and far away. Zac nodded. Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.

'Zac, this is amazing! I can't believe you bought me a house! And you knew exactly what type of house and how to furnish it. I can't believe how well you know me. This is, without a doubt the greatest gift I have ever received.' Vanessa said as the tears started to fall. Zac smiled gently at her, wiping the tears away as quickly as they fell.

'I'm glad you like it. I was so scared that you wouldn't want it.'

'How could I not want it? You bought it for me, which makes it even more special than if I'd bought it myself. It's perfect Zac. And this day was perfect. And so are you. The perfect boyfriend.' Vanessa said. Zac laughed.

'Well thank you.' He said, kissing her softly. They lay in silence for a while and Vanessa could feel herself drifting off to sleep. The last thing she heard before she fell asleep was Zac saying

'I love you, Vanessa.'

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**Ok, so thats another really long chapter. I am very proud of myself. Let me know what you thought, I'm finally focusing a little more on the Zanessa side of this fic, which is what I intended to do the whole time. The last couple of chapters were just to introduce Em to the story. So there we go. Review and I will buy you a house! Haha. xoxo**


	8. Return

**A/N: Ok, so I've been away visiting relatives since before christmas so I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Also, for those of you reading Seperation Anxiety, i'm still trying to finish chapter four, i got writers block. But it's almost finished so it should be up soon.

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**

When everyone returned to LA to finish rehearsing for the tour, they could all see that there was something different about Zac and Vanessa. They were happier. Not that they weren't always happy, but this was different. Eventually Ashley locked them in the rehearsal room in order to find out what was going on.

'What the heck is the deal with you two? You've been exceptionally happy ever since we came back from Christmas break? Did something happen that I should know about?' She asked, hands on hips in what Vanessa liked to call her 'fighting stance'.

'No. Well…not really.' Zac answered.

'What do you mean not really? Something must have happened.'

'Nothing happened. We spent Boxing Day together and the day after that, but nothing out of the ordinary happened.' Vanessa replied. Ashley looked at her suspiciously and then her stern and inquisitive demeanor vanished.

'Please tell me what's going on, nesquick! I'm your best friend! Shouldn't you tell me if anything exciting happens?' she whined. Vanessa laughed.

'Ash, there is nothing going on! Nothing happened.'

'There is something different here. I don't know what it is or why you're not telling me, but you know that I'm going to find out.' Ashley said abruptly as she turned on her heel and stalked out the door. Zac looked at Vanessa and started to laugh.

'What?' she asked.

'Don't you think that was a little bit funny?'

'Not particularly. There is a reason we haven't told anyone and you know she's right. She'll do whatever it takes to find out what's going on and I don't like it. I want this to stay between us.' Vanessa said sternly. Zac stopped laughing.

'Ness, she was going to find out eventually anyway. Something like this doesn't stay secret for very long.' He said, putting an arm around her waist. She leaned into him and sighed.

'I know. But I wanted this to be our little secret.'

'It will be. We're the only ones that know, remember? How is she going to find out unless we tell her?' Zac reasoned. Vanessa smiled.

'Good point. Now can we go back to the hotel please? I'm tired.'

'Of course we can.' Zac said as he picked her up and carried her bridal style to the car, Vanessa giggling the entire time.

Meanwhile, Ashley and Lucas were sitting in Lucas's suite eating pizza and discussing the 'golden couple'.

'Something happened during Christmas break, I'm sure of it. I don't care what Vanessa says, something most definitely happened.' Ashley stated as she picked the mushrooms off her pizza.

'Ash, why did you order pizza with mushrooms of you're only going to pick them off?'

'You ordered the mushrooms!' Ashley exclaimed as she threw a pillow at Lucas. He ducked and it flew over his head. He grinned.

'Oh, so I did. Sorry about that. Anyway, what were you saying?' He asked. Ashley sighed in exasperation.

'Zac and Vanessa! They're hiding something.'

'So what if they are? Ash, if they're keeping something from us, I'm sure there's a good reason.'

'Well…no! They shouldn't be keeping anything from us. We are their best friends. They should tell us if something happened or is happening or whatever.' Ashley cried.

'It's killing you that you don't know, isn't it?' Lucas asked with a grin. Ashley nodded meekly. She wasn't used to not knowing everything that was happening. Lucas wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

'Ash, you can't know everything. I know they're your best friends and you really want to know, but if they aren't telling you, there's no point fretting over it. If they want you to know, they'll tell you in due time. But for now, just let it go.'

'I can't.' Ashley's reply was slightly muffled by Lucas's shirt. He laughed.

'You have to. If you keep bugging them about what they're hiding, you'll only end up fighting with them. You're better off to let them tell you when they're ready. Trust me. It'll be ok. I promise.'

'Oh, fine.' Ashley agreed, although reluctantly as she stood up, pacing the room. Lucas grinned.

'Good. Now get over here and kiss me.'

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**So that's my shortest chapter ever. And I don't even care. Yes…they have a secret. Try and guess what it is in your reviews. If anyone guesses anything really cool, I may even change my story to fit. Lets see what you can do!**


	9. Ashley's Sleepover

**A/N: I'm back!!!!!!!!!!!! I got a brand new computer, but everything off my old hard drive was rescued so I've still got all my fics. Thank goodness!!!!**

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The next day they rehearsed the entire show to see how it was going to run on stage. Everything was running according to schedule and in 2 weeks they would be starting the tour. As a celebration of how well they were doing, Ashley organised a sleepover in her suite for that night.

'Vanessa, you bring the chocolate, Corbin, you get the food and there has to be pizza in that somewhere, Lucas and I will organise movies, Zac, you sort out drinks and Em, well, you do everything normally, so you don't have to do anything this time.'

Everyone scurried off to organise whatever it was they had to do and an hour later they all met in Ashley's room. 2 hours later they had finished the first and movie and nearly all the food was gone.

'Hey, lets play truth or dare!' Ashley exclaimed.

'Uh, Ash, maybe that's not such a good idea.' Lucas said, looking at her warningly. He knew exactly what she was doing.

'No, lets, it'll be fun!' Vanessa said, agreeing with Ashlee. Lucas groaned inwardly. This was going to end badly, he could tell.

'Yay! Who's going to go first?' Ashley asked.

'I'll go first!' Lucas jumped in. Ashley glared at him. He ignored her. 'Ok, Corbin, Truth or dare?'

'Well, having experienced a dare from you before, I'm going to pick truth.'

'Ok, have you ever had a crush on any of the girls in this room?' Lucas asked. Corbin grinned and shrugged.

'Of course I have. I've had a crush on every girl in this room. How can you not? They're gorgeous girls.' He said proudly. The girls squealed and hugged him.

'Aww, that was so sweet!' Vanessa exclaimed.

The game continued and eventually it was Ashley's turn.

'Ok, Vanessa, truth or dare?'

'Well since I'm scared of what you might give me if I pick dare, I'm going to pick truth.' She said, not having any idea what was going through Ashley's mind. An evil grin crossed Ashley's face. Lucas made eye contact with her and shook his head slightly but she ignored him and asked the question that had been burning in her mind since they had returned from Christmas break.

'What happened between you and Zac during Christmas break?' Ashley asked triumphantly. Vanessa froze. She stared at Zac, looking more than just a little alarmed. They held a silent conversation with their eyes and Zac put his arm around Vanessa. She relaxed visibly. Then she spoke.

'Ok. We saw each other on Boxing Day. We hung out, went to a carnival then we gave each other presents and spent the night together. The next day we just hung out and watched movies. _That's it_.' she said, looking Ashley straight in the eye, as if daring her to ask again.

'What did you give each other for Christmas?' she asked.

'It's not your turn anymore, Ash.' Zac spoke up. Vanessa smiled.

'I think I've had enough of truth or dare. Lets watch another movie.' she said, leaning on Zac. Lucas grinned.

'Yeah. We haven't watched The Ring yet!' he said as he slid the disc into the dvd player. He sat down on the floor next to Ashley and put his arm around her shoulders. She crossed her arms, clearly sulking. However, once the movie started she snuggled up to Lucas, hiding her face in his chest when anything scary happened. Across the room Zac and Vanessa had forgotten about the movie and were making out on the couch. Em had fallen asleep with her head resting on Corbin's shoulder, and Corbin was eating the last piece of cold pizza from the box. Ashley sighed. This sleepover had not turned out the way she had wanted.

'What's up?' Lucas whispered. Ashley shrugged. 'Ash, maybe nothing did happen.'

'No, Lucas, something happened. And I know I shouldn't care if it did or not, but I can't help but want to know. It's in my nature.'

'I know it is. But you just have to let them tell you when they're ready.' Lucas pointed out. Ashley sighed.

'I know. And I will. But it doesn't mean I won't be wondering.'

'What the heck are you two talking about?' Corbin interrupted.

'Nothing!' Ashley and Lucas chorused in unison. Corbin looked at the suspiciously.

'They're talking about us.' Vanessa piped up. Ashley turned to look at her incredulously.

'You were listening?'

'Well it wasn't hard to hear. You weren't exactly whispering. And we are in the same room as you.' Zac said matter of factly. Ashley stared at them.

'I can't believe you heard us. I figured you were too…_busy_ to listen.'

'Just because they had their tongues down each others throats doesn't mean they've gone deaf.' Corbin said. Lucas laughed, earning himself a glare from Ashley.

'What? He makes a good point.' He defended. Ashley continued glaring at him.

'Why were they talking about you?' Corbin asked Zac and Vanessa.

'Ashley thinks we're keeping a secret from her. She's trying to figure out how to get us to confess.' Vanessa replied.

'Oooh, a secret? Tell me!' Corbin exclaimed.

'What the heck are you all yelling about?' Em mumbled as she started to wake up. Corbin looked guiltily at her.

'Sorry, I forgot you were asleep there.'

'Its ok. What's going on?' Em asked as she sat up slowly, stretching out her muscles from her awkward sleeping position.

'Zac and Vanessa have a secret and Ashley wants to know but they won't tell her.' Corbin explained. Em nodded in understanding.

'Cool. So what's the secret?'

'There is no secret!' Vanessa exclaimed.

'Yes there is!' Ashley cried.

'No there isn't!'

'Is too.'

'is not.'

'is too.'

'is not.'

'Girls would you stop it!' Zac yelled above the argument. Ashley and Vanessa looked at him.

'Zac, can I talk to you outside for a moment?' Vanessa asked as she grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.

'wow, that was getting pretty tense for a moment there.' Corbin pointed out. Lucas nodded in agreement. Ashley scowled, upset that she hadn't got her way. Then she caught sight of the look on Em's face.

'Em! We need to talk. Now!' she said as she grabbed Em's hand and pulled her into the bathroom.

'what the heck was that for? You know, I do need this arm, I'd appreciate it if you didn't rip it out of its socket.' Em said, rubbing her shoulder. Ashley glowered at her.

'You know something.'

'Yes actually, I know lots of things. Is there any particular subject we're talking about here?' Emily quipped. Ashley glared at her.

'Zac and Vanessa. You know what their secret is.'

'no I don't. Your secret however, I am pretty sure I know exactly.'

'what secret? I don't have a secret.' Ashley said, a panicked look crossing her face. Emily grinned.

'yes you do. Ash, I studied psychology in high school, all the signs are there. All you're doing as trying to transfer the focus to Zac and Nessa's secret so that no one suspects you have one.' She said confidently. Ashley sighed and hung her head.

'ok. Yes I am keeping a secret. But it's going to stay a secret. And you're not going to tell anyone that I even have secret.' Ashley said sternly, suddenly sounding very motherly.

'so you're not going to tell me your secret, or anyone else, but you're so desperate to find out what's going on with Zac and Nessa.' Em said, hoping that Ashley would realise how stupid she was being. It worked.

'yeah pretty much. Oh. That's pretty stupid, huh?' she said dumbly. Em rolled her eyes.

'yes Ashley, that is very stupid. So you either tell your secret or leave Zac and Nessa alone.'

'oh fine. I'll leave them alone.' Ashley said. Em grinned.

'I knew you'd do the right thing. And I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret.'

'Thanks Em. You're a true friend.' Ashley said as she hugged Em. When they exited the bathroom, Lucas and Corbin were playing cards. Zac and Vanessa were still out of the room.

'I think I'll go find them and apologise.' Ashley said to Em. Em nodded encouragingly and Ashley left the room. she found Zac and Vanessa in the corridor having a heated discussion.

'No Zac, I don't…oh, hi Ash. What's up?' Vanessa asked.

'umm I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a jerk. And I wont bug you anymore.' She said softly. Zac smiled at her.

'Thanks Ash. And its all good.' He said as he and Vanessa hugged her. She pulled out of the hug and smiled wryly at them.

'thanks guys. But now I have a few things I need to sort out with Lucas. She said as she turned and made her way back into the room. Zac turned to face Vanessa.

'well I guess she saw reason.'

'no she didn't. she's hiding something. probably something even bigger than what we're hiding. Someone made her realise that if she was going to have a secret, she had to allow other people to have secrets as well. And I bet it was Em.'

'how do you figure that?'

'Em's good at negotiations. Hadn't you noticed?'

'yeah, I'd noticed. But I mean how do you figure that Ash is hiding something?'

'I've known Ash for…how long now? I know when she's hiding something. just as she knows when I'm hiding something. we know each other well enough to pick these things up. Trust me on this, she has a secret.' Vanessa said simply. Zac grinned.

'oooh, this is going to be fun. what's her secret?'

'that, I don't know. but we can't go trying to figure her secret out if we're not going to tell ours. That makes us just as bad as her.' Vanessa stated. Zac pouted.

'why do you always spoil my fun?' he asked. Vanessa laughed.

'I did not spoil your fun. she'll tell us when she's ready. And even if she doesn't, is it really that important to you that you find out Ashley's innermost secrets.'

'not really. I was just playing around. But speaking of fun, so you want to go back to our room now?' Zac asked with a wink. Vanessa grinned.

'that would be fun.' she said as they raced down the hall and into their room, throwing the do not disturb sign onto the door as they closed it.

Meanwhile, Ashley and Lucas had sorted out everything as well and were now curled up on Ashley's bed watching the end of The Ring. Corbin and Emily had retreated to Corbin's room and were sitting on his bed watching infomercials.

'So, that was a pretty crazy night, huh?' Corbin said, trying to make conversation.

'Yeah it was pretty insane.' Em agreed with a laugh. She turned to see Corbin staring at her.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing.' Corbin whispered as they leaned closer…

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**OOOHHHH! Bit of a cliffy! Are they going to kiss? Tell me what you think! I have an idea in mind, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks!!!! Review and tell me!!!!!**


	10. Aftermath

**A/N: Chapter 10. Okay, so up until now, Monique hasn't been in this fic. I've decided she should be. so from here on, she will be in it. Just pretend she was in it the whole time.**

Recap:

'So, that was a pretty crazy night, huh?' Corbin said, trying to make conversation.

'Yeah it was pretty insane.' Em agreed with a laugh. She turned to see Corbin staring at her.

'What?' she asked.

'Nothing.' Corbin whispered as they leaned closer…

They leaned in, and as quickly as their lips met, they both pulled away. They stared at each other for a moment and burst out laughing.

'What were we thinking?' Corbin asked through his laughter.

'I have no idea. That was the stupidest thing we've ever done.' Em agreed. Corbin put his arm around her shoulders.

'Lets never attempt that ever again.' He chuckled.

'Agreed. That was just too weird.' Em said as she wrapped her arms around Corbin in a bear hug. Several minutes passed in silence until Em decided she was tired.

'I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed.' She said as she stood up.

'Ok. Night, Em.'

'Night Corbs.' She replied as she left the room.

The next morning everyone piled into the van to head to rehearsal. The girls sat quietly while the guys had a burping contest. Eventually it became too much for Ashley.

'Lucas, honey?' she said sweetly. Lucas turned to look at her.

'Yes Ash?'

'Could you guys please STOP BURPING!' she exclaimed. Vanessa began to giggle and a small smile crossed Em's face. The boys looked highly offended.

'Ash, we're guys, it's what we do.' Lucas tried to explain.

'Well can you do it sometime when we're not in a confined space?' Ashley reasoned. Lucas's shoulders slumped in defeat.

'Oh, fine.'

'Excellent.' Ashley smiled in victory. The rest of the ride to the studio passed in almost silence, with the occasional whisper or giggle from Ashley and Vanessa. Rehearsal was uneventful but very hard work and everyone was glad when lunchtime came. The girls ventured outside into the sun while the guys stayed indoors and continue their burping contest. Vanessa, Ashley, Monique and Emily were sitting in the sun, enjoying their lunches when Em spoke up.

'So, I kissed Corbin last night.' She said casually. Vanessa and Ashley turned so fast that she was surprised they didn't get whiplash.

'What?' they both yelped. Emily nodded.

'So what's happening with you now? Are you together?' Ashley asked. Em shook her head vehemently.

'No, definitely not. It was totally weird. We're like best friends. It was only one kiss, completely by accident and it felt really wrong. We're never going to be a couple.'

'I was waiting for that to happen.' Monique pointed out. Emily looked at her in confusion.

'What do you mean?'

'Well you guys have become so close lately, eventually, you were going to test the boundaries of your relationship.'

'Huh. That actually makes sense.' Vanessa said. Monique swatted her arm playfully.

'Everything I say makes sense!'

'Ok, Mo, you just keep telling yourself that. Now, back to the topic at hand, Em if you and Corbin aren't going to be a couple, we need to find you a boyfriend.' Vanessa said seriously. Emily laughed.

'It's not high on my list of priorities. I'm quite happy to be single for the moment.'

'I don't believe you.' Ashley said warily. Emily laughed.

'It's true! Now come on. Let's end this conversation and go find the boys.' She said as she stood up. The others followed. They found Corbin and Lucas competing to see who could do a better back flip while Zac looked on enviously.

'Wish I could do that.' He muttered as Vanessa walked up next to him.

'It's not that hard.' She said, turning and executing a perfect back flip' Do you want me to teach you?' She asked as she walked back to him. Zac looked at her in amazement.

'How is it possible that I didn't know you could do that?' he asked. Vanessa shrugged.

'I don't know.' then a wicked look crossed her face. 'I can do lots of things you don't know about.' She whispered seductively. Zac's eyes practically popped out of his head.

'Anything you'd care to show me?'

'Not right now. Maybe later, when we're alone.' Vanessa winked and walked away.

'Uhhh, Nessa, that's cruel you know you shouldn't tempt me like that.' Zac said as he hurried after her. She turned to look at him over her shoulder.

'Get used to it. That won't be the last time it happens' She said with a grin. Zac ran forwards and wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her in a circle.

'I suppose I'll have to put up with that every day once we're living together.' He whispered into her ear. She grinned.

'Yep.' She turned to face him. 'You're going to love it.'

'I know.' Zac whispered as he brought his face to hers in a searing kiss. As they pulled away, Vanessa grinned wickedly.

'How much time do we have before break's over?' she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Zac laughed.

'Not enough.' He said as he leaned in to kiss her again.

'Do you guys think you could save the making out until you're in the privacy of…somewhere that isn't here?' Corbin asked, causing Zac and Vanessa to pull away from the kiss.

'No need to be jealous, Corbin.' Zac replied. Corbin made a face.

'Jealous of what exactly?'

'Cause you haven't got anyone to make out with.' Zac said with a laugh. Corbin rolled his eyes. Vanessa started to giggle.

'Obviously, you haven't heard the news yet.' She said. Zac and Corbin both whipped around to look at her.

'What!?' they asked in unison. Vanessa gaped at Corbin.

'Are you telling me that you didn't tell anyone?'

'Tell anyone what?' Corbin asked, legitimately confused.

'What happened last night.' Vanessa replied calmly.

'Woah, woah. What happened last night? Because I don't like the sound of this.' Zac intervened, putting a possessive arm around Vanessa's waist. She rolled her eyes.

'Zac, chill. I'm talking about Em and Corbin making out last night' she said with a grin. Zac's mouth dropped open. Corbin groaned.

'Oh great. So everyone knows then.'

'Well Em told Ash and I, we just assumed that you had told Zac and Lucas.'

'Well I don't need to now! You've done it for me!' Corbin exclaimed.

'Oh calm down drama queen. It's not like it's a big deal anyway.' Vanessa said, putting her hands on her hips. By this time, Ashley, Lucas, Monique and Em had joined the group.

'Uhhh, question? What the heck is going on here?' Lucas asked.

'Corbin and Em made out last night.' Ashley whispered.

'We didn't make out, it was only one kiss.' Em clarified. Corbin turned to look at her.

'Gosh. We kiss once, and all of a sudden we're the news of the day. It's not that fascinating, guys.' he said, turning back to face his friends. Em laughed.

'This is ridiculous. Corbin's right, it's really not that fascinating.'

'I hate to interrupt your socialising, but we have a rehearsal to get back to.' Kenny interrupted. Everyone jumped up and went to their positions for the opening.

'Sorry Kenny.' Vanessa said.

'Its fine, Vanessa. Now let's get this show on the road, shall we?' Kenny replied as music filled the room and the rehearsal began.

From then onwards, the issue of Emily and Corbin's kiss was put to rest and wasn't mentioned again for the rest of the day. Of course part of this was because by the time rehearsal was over, everyone was so exhausted that they couldn't even find the energy to talk on the way back to the hotel. Dinner was also silent, and everyone retired to their rooms immediately after dessert without another word.

An hour later, Ashley was still awake. She'd been tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep, but she just couldn't. she crawled out of bed and stood in her room in the dark for a moment, not sure what she was going to do. as she made up her mind she padded out the door and down the corridor. She reached a certain room and stood staring at the door before raising her hand and knocking hesitantly. She waited, hearing shuffling sounds from inside that told her the occupant was getting out of bed and heading towards the door. The door swung open and she smiled slightly at the person standing in front of her.

'hey. Ummm, sorry to wake you. I couldn't sleep.' She said softly. Lucas stared at her, his hair tousled, having clearly just woken up.

'uhhh… it's ok. Come in. we can… talk. If you want.' He replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he stifled a yawn. Ashley forced a smile and entered the room.

'Thanks, Luc.' She said softly. She cross legged on his bed and started fidgeting, staring down at her hands.

'Ash? What's wrong?' Lucas asked, suddenly wide awake and very worried. Ashley looked up, her eyes wide and fearful.

'I don't know. I feel… unsettled. Like something is horribly wrong.' She said.

'Ash, come here. Everything's fine.' Lucas said as he pulled her into a hug. She took several deep breaths, relishing in the feel of being in his arms. He started to pull away from the embrace but Ashley hugged him tighter.

'not yet.' She said as she clung to him. He buried his face in her neck, breathing in her scent.

'I love you, Ash. You know that, right?' he whispered.

'I know.' She replied. 'I love you too.'

'come on. You can sleep here tonight. It's obvious you wont get any sleep in your own room.' Lucas said as he pulled Ashley toward his bed.

As Lucas lay with his arm around Ashley's waist and her head against his chest, he smiled into her hair before kissing her neck softly.

'Thank you, Lucas. What would I do without you?' Ashley whispered sleepily. Lucas didn't reply, simply kissed her neck again and settled into a dreamless sleep.

**Well that was fun. Little bit of Luley fluff at the end there. Review and tell me what you thought. Those pesky secrets get brought up again next chapter. I'm moving inter state i a couple of days, so things are a bit crazy right now. I'm going to try to update soon though. Peace. **


	11. The secret?

**A/N: Yeah baby, I'm back!!! So, i haven't updated in like, a million hundred years, but the last few weeks i started to write again, and now i'm on summer holidays until the end of january, so i'll be able to update again!! I know a lot of people gave up on me because it had been so long since i updated, but if you're one of the people who waited patiently, THANK YOU!! now, enjoy the story.**

**Chapter 11... here we go.

* * *

**

The next few weeks were fairly uneventful, everything continued as usual. Until one day Kenny finished up rehearsal with an announcement.

'Ok everyone, you're going to need to call your families and make some arrangements, because people, we start traveling next week. We leave next Wednesday for New York, so you'd better start packing. That's it for today. I'll see you all tomorrow.'

For the first time in weeks, the drive back to the hotel was noisy. Everyone was talking about next week, starting the tour, and finally being able to put their show onto the stage.

'This is so exciting! There's nothing I love more than the first few night of a show.' Em exclaimed.

'I know. I can't wait for opening night.' Lucas commented.

'I'm excited about finally getting into the theatre. We all know how much I love theatres.' Ashley said with a laugh. Everyone else joined in.

'This is so awesome. The part I love best about touring is that we become so close. Being in such physically close quarters with each other makes us emotionally closer. Arguments never last long because it's too hard to avoid each other, and no one keeps secrets.' Corbin said seriously. Zac and Vanessa looked at each other briefly before grinning at their friends.

'This is going to be so amazing.' Vanessa said. Ashley whirled around to face her.

'You know, Corbin has a point. When we toured last time, we told each other everything. No one kept secrets from anyone. And I know you two think we've forgotten about your little secret, but I haven't. We will find out what you're hiding.' She said.

'Be my guest, Ash. But I happen to know that you're hiding something too. If you think you're going to find out what's going on with us, rest assured that we will find out what's going on with you. We've all got secrets. And they will all come out. I'm not worried. But perhaps _you_ should be.' Zac said. Ashley stared at him, stunned. This wasn't like Zac at all. Even Vanessa looked surprised. An awkward silence descended over the van as everyone simply stared at each other, not really sure what had just happened. Luckily the van soon pulled up to the hotel.

'Zac, we are taking a walk.' Vanessa said as she grabbed Zac's arm and steered him away from the hotel entrance. He followed her without a fight.

'Why did you speak to her like that?' Vanessa asked as they walked down the street.

'I don't know. I just…snapped. This whole secret thing is getting out of hand. We may as well just tell them.'

'You're right. But that's no guarantee that Ashley's going to tell us anything.'

'I know. And I know its been driving you crazy, just as our secret has been driving her crazy, but we just have to wait for her to tell us. We can't try to force it out of her.'

'That a strange sentiment coming from the guy who just jumped down her throat about it.'

'Only because she was rubbing our faces in the fact that she was going to find out. I'll call her. Tell her I'm sorry.' Zac said as he pulled out his cell phone. Vanessa smiled.

'There's my boyfriend! I wasn't sure where he'd gone, but he's back.' She said with a smile, taking Zac's hand in hers. Zac waited for Ashley to answer. Just as he was about to disconnect the call, she answered.

'Ash? I'm sorry about what I said. And Vanessa and I have decided to call a meeting in our room tonight. We've got something we'd like to tell everyone. So if you could tell the others, that would be great. We'll be back in half an hour.' He said before disconnecting the call. Vanessa hugged him.

'I'm glad we're finally going to tell everyone. We'll be able to talk about it in front of people.' She said clearly thrilled at the idea.

'I know. It's amazing, huh?'

'It sure is.' Vanessa replied before planting a very quick kiss on Zac's cheek. They started back to the hotel, and when they arrived, Ashley had already assembled everyone in Zac and Vanessa's room.

'Hey guys.' Zac said, squeezing Vanessa's hand reassuringly.

'So you have something to tell us?' Monique prompted, clearly exited to finally hear what the big secret was.

'Yes. Uhhh...ok, here goes. I bought Vanessa a house for Christmas and…' he trailed off as everyone started talking at once.

'You bought her a house?' Ashley exclaimed.

'That's the big secret!' Corbin cried.

'That's what all the hype was about?' Lucas asked.

'I can't believe you got a house and didn't tell us!' Emily squealed.

'Guys? Calm down. That wasn't the news.' Vanessa called out, over everyone else's voices. They all shut up and looked intently at her.

'The thing is, we're going to move in together. We're going to live together and our eventual plan is to get married.' Zac said. Everyone sat in stunned silence.

'I know we're both too young to be getting married, but that's why Zac said "our eventual plan". At this point in time, we both feel like we could be together for the rest of our lives, but you never know. That's why we're moving in together first. And the reason we didn't tell you was because we just needed some time to get used to the idea ourselves, before we told anyone.' Vanessa said.

'This is so exciting!' Ashley squealed. Once the silence was broken, everyone was talking and squealing and congratulating and laughing. Vanessa and Zac stood hand in hand, laughing and answering their friends questions.

Later, after everyone had finally left (Lucas had literally had to drag Ashley from the room), Vanessa flopped down on the bed exhausted.

'I'm so glad we told them.' She said, closing her eyes and stretching out languidly.

'You're so beautiful.' Zac said as he climbed onto the bed next to her and started to kiss her neck. Vanessa laughed lightly.

'Zac, baby, I'm exhausted. As glad as I am that our friends finally know everything and we don't have to hide it anymore, I am so tired. I just want to sleep.'

'I know.' Zac replied, climbing under the covers and pulling Vanessa close.

'I love you.' She whispered.

'I love you too. More than you'll ever know.' Zac replied.

* * *

**So there you go. The secret is out. Excited? I dont think I am. It's a little boring. But its ok, things get better pretty soon. the next few chapters should be good. Reveiw please!!! and in your review, tell me whether you're a new reader or an old one. I'd love to know how many people stuck it out and waited...**


	12. And so it begins

**A/N: Chapter 12. I'm not sure I have anything else to say. **

The next week, they left for New York. The entire plane ride was spent discussing how much fun it was going to be and how excited they all were. It was lucky that they took up all of first class, because had there been anyone else on that particular 6am flight, they would have become increasingly annoyed with the girls constant squealing. When the plane landed, they all disembarked hurriedly, excited to finally be there. Emily looked around her in wonder as they entered the airport.

'It's just an airport, Em. Like every other.' Lucas joked.

'I've never been to New York.' Emily replied vaguely. Vanessa looked at the others and grinned.

'Excellent. We are going to have so much fun.' She said happily. However, they didn't get a chance for any fun. They were taken to the hotel in their tour bus, dropped off all their luggage and were taken straight to the theatre. They dumped their bags in their dressing rooms and found their way to the green room. Corbin immediately opened the refrigerator and made a noise of excitement.

'Hey! There's food in here!'

'This room will be restocked every day, so don't worry about running out of food. However, just because it's getting restocked, that doesn't mean you have to eat everything. There's plenty of energy drinks, gummy worms for quick sugar fix, healthy snacks to keep your nutrition up, and plenty of cold water to keep you hydrated. The room is yours only, the rest of the company have their own green room which is downstairs, closer to their dressing rooms. So it is expected that at any time if we need to find you, we need only check here and your dressing rooms and we will be ale to find you. Now, you're required on stage for a briefing and a theatre tour in 5 minutes.' Emily made her speech from the doorway before turning and walking quickly back towards the stage.

'Wow. She's so professional. It's like she's a different person.' Corbin said in wonder.

'I know. But she has to be like that. Its what she does.' Monique pointed out.

'Yeah true. We should probably get to stage for that briefing.' Corbin said, turning to leave the room. The rest of the cast followed. Vanessa grinned at Zac and took his hand, following their friends to the stage. For nearly an hour Emily, Kenny, their production manager Linda, and their stage manager Joseph talked about how things were going to run for the next few days, and what the protocols and rules of the theatre and the show were. Then they took a half hour tour of the entire theatre, dressing rooms, control rooms, backstage and the auditorium.

'ok everyone, you can have a half hour break, have something to eat, then we're going to have a nice long rehearsal so I can have a look at everything that needs to be tweaked or fixed.' Kenny said with a grin, shooing them all away. At 12, they all went back to the stage for a half hour warm up before starting the rehearsal. The afternoon was long and tedious. Nearly every scene needed work, so Kenny would stop, try some things, work out what he wanted, and then they would continue. By 6.30, they were only up to the end of act 1. Kenny allowed them a 1 hour break to have some food and a rest before coming back to finish act 2. At 1am, they were finally finished. They all stumbled back to their dressing rooms, collected their things and somehow got themselves onto the bus and back to the hotel, where they all fell asleep instantly. At 7am, everyone was woken by their alarms. Vanessa sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes.

'What time is it?' Zac muttered into his pillow.

'7am.' Vanessa replied as a knock sounded on the door. Zac groaned as Vanessa got out of bed and answered it. Emily stood there with a smile on her face.

'Good morning! You're expected at the theatre at 8.45. The bus will be leaving at twenty past 8 and if you're not on it, it _will _leave without you. Today is going to be even longer and more tedious than yesterday, so I suggest you have a good healthy breakfast. You're going to need it. See you at the theatre!' Emily chirped before turning to knock on Ashley's door across the hall. Vanessa closed the door with a look of wonder on her face.

'How is it possible that she's awake?'

'Its what she does. Late nights, hard work, it's what she thrives on.' Zac said, sitting up in bed, more awake now. 'What time did she say the bus was leaving?'

'Twenty past 8. That's in a bit over an hour. I'm going to take a shower.' Vanessa replied, heading for the bathroom.

Emily was right. The day was a _lot _longer and more tedious than the day before had been. They had technical rehearsal all day, and it did take the whole day to get through the whole show.

'I hate tech rehearsals.' Lucas complained during their lunch break.

'Me too. They're so boring. Standing around for half an hour while they work out a single cue. It's my least favourite part of theatre.' Ashley replied.

By 7pm, they had finished the tech rehearsal. However, the day was far from over. Kenny wanted a dance rehearsal. He gave everyone a one hour break to have dinner and at 8pm the reassembled on the stage to rehearse and fix all the dances. Nearly 5 hours later, they were finished.

'Ok, go back to the hotel, get some sleep. I'll see you all at 9 tomorrow.' he dismissed them. They all trudged back to their dressing rooms, collected their things and got onto the bus. Vanessa stumbled onto the bus and took her usual seat. She leaned her head against the cool glass of the window. Zac materialized next to her.

'Are you ok?' he asked softly. She turned to look at him, shaking her head. He nodded and sat next to her, putting his arm around her. Her head dropped onto his shoulder and she fell asleep almost straight away.

'Yet again, Nessa's asleep before we've even left.' Corbin joked as he took his seat across the aisle.

'Don't, Corbin, you'll wake her.' Zac hissed. When the bus reached the hotel, Zac carried Vanessa into their room and put her to bed. She didn't even stir. She was completely worn out. Zac dropped into bed next to her and fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

The next morning when the alarm went off, Zac woke first. Vanessa didn't stir.

'Nessa, time to get up.' Zac said softly, shaking her gently awake. She opened her eyes slowly and looked up at him. 'Good morning beautiful girl.'

'Hi.' Vanessa said softly.

'I'm going to go take a shower, ok? Then I'll order some breakfast while you take yours, ok?' Zac said gently. Vanessa nodded. As soon as Zac was in the bathroom, she took some Advil, hoping it might help the monster headache she had that had begun sometime the day before. Vanessa was quiet all morning, and as they sat on the bus waiting for everyone, she didn't say a word. When Ashley walked onto the bus and took her usual seat in front of them she greeted them with a cheery "good morning".

'Morning, Ash.' Zac replied. Vanessa stayed silent, her head against the window, her eyes closed.

'Are you ok, Nessa?' Ashley asked. Vanessa's eyes opened.

'Huh? Yeah, fine.' She closed her eyes again. Ashley and Zac exchanged a look. She was _not _fine. She stayed quiet all morning. All the way through the song rehearsal she opened her mouth only to sing.

'Ok everyone, its 10am. Dress rehearsal starts at 12.30. Warm up will be at 11.15 and sound check straight after that. Hair and makeup should be done before warm up, but you are not to warm up in costume. Now, go get ready.' Kenny dismissed them all and the traipsed back to their dressing rooms. The main cast had their own hair and makeup artists, so Vanessa simply dropped into a chair, closed her eyes, and let Lisa go to work on her hair. When Lisa finished Vanessa's hair and moved onto her makeup, Vanessa felt a pair of strong warm hand begin to gently massage her shoulders.

'Zachary?' she asked, eyes still closed.

'Yeah, it's me. How are you feeling?'

'Terrible. How are you?'

'I'm great. Worried about you though. Do you need to take some aspirin?'

'I took some Advil this morning. I'll take some more right before we start.'

'Ok.' Zac kissed the top of Vanessa head. Just then the intercom speaker burst into life and Emily's voice announced that they were now required on stage for warm up.

'Just your lipstick to go and we can do that when you get back.' Lisa said with a smile, shooing them out of the room. When warm up was over, everyone went back to the dressing rooms and the corridor echoed with the sound of closing doors. When the doors opened again, Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad and Taylor emerged.

'Yeah baby, we're back!' Corbin said with a grin. Everyone else grinned back.

'Don't talk to me; I need to get into character.' Ashley said dramatically.

'It shouldn't be too hard, you're exactly like her.' Lucas pointed out. Ashley gasped and feigned shock.

'I cannot work under theses conditions!' she turned dramatically and went back into her dressing room. 'And I want a bigger dressing room!' her voice floated out to them. The group in the corridor laughed.

'See Ash, you're channeling her already.' Zac pointed out. Then he looked around wildly. Where was Vanessa? He went into her dressing room and found her sipping slowly from her water bottle. She looked up at him, her eyes full of misery. He took her hand, pulling her up from her chair and hugging her tightly. Her head fell onto his shoulder and took a deep breath. Ashley and the others burst into the room.

'Ohhhhh, we're interrupting something aren't we?' Ashley said, edging out of the room.

'No, no, you're not.' Vanessa replied.

'Attention company of High School Musical, this is your beginners call. Could all act 1 beginners make their way to stage immediately. Thank you.' Emily's voice came from the intercom speaker. The cast grinned at each other.

'Let's do this!' Lucas said, turning to go to stage. Everyone else followed. The rehearsal went fairly well, a few things messed up, but overall it was pretty good. After it was over, Kenny made everyone sit through an hour of notes, wherein he gave his exact opinion of what had gone wrong and why, and how things should be changed or fixed for the next rehearsal that night.

'You can all go get changed, have something to eat, touch up your hair and makeup and be back here in an hour and a half for warm up.' He finally dismissed them at 4.30. They all escaped quickly, except for Vanessa who was moving at a snails pace, her headache having progressed into a full blown migraine.

'How do you feel?' Zac asked, following her back into her dressing room. She shook her head, taking a drink from her water bottle. 'I'm going to go change, and then I'll be back, ok?' Zac went back to his dressing room, changed lightning fast and went back to Vanessa. She was sitting on the floor in her underwear, head in her hands.

'Nessa?' Zac asked in a panic.

**Oooooooo, dramatic much? What's going on with Vanessa? Next chapter, some more of this lovely drama. Let me know what you thought, and you all know what that means! Review!!**

**Em xx**


	13. Nessa's sickness

**A/N: Chapter 13. Last chapter, Vanessa collapsed in her dressing room after rehearsal. Ready to find out whats wrong with her?**

_PREVIOUSLY…_

_'How do you feel?' Zac asked, following Vanessa back into her dressing room. She shook her head, taking a drink from her water bottle. 'I'm going to go change, and then I'll be back, ok?' Zac went back to his dressing room, changed lightning fast and went back to Vanessa. She was sitting on the floor in her underwear, head in her hands._

_'Nessa?' Zac asked in a panic._

Zac rushed over to her, taking her hands in his and helping her up.

'I'm ok. I just got dizzy and lost my balance. I'm fine.'

'You're not fine. You need to take some asprin. Have you eaten today?'

'Yeah, I had breakfast with you, remember? And I had a granola bar during interval. I can't take asprin, it puts me to sleep. I'll take some tonight.'

'Ok, ok. You need some real food. I'll see what there is in the green room. Here, put these on.' Zac handed Vanessa her sweat pants and a hoodie. She pulled them on and followed him to the green room. Ashley and Lucas were in there making out.

'Is there someplace else you could do that?' Zac asked. The smooching stars leapt apart and looked guiltily at Zac. Ashley's expression quickly changed from guilty to concern though, when she saw Vanessa.

'Are you ok, Ness?'

'Yeah, I'm fine.'

'Are you sure? You're really pale.'

'I'm ok. Don't worry about me.'

'I am worried. You're all pale and you look like you might be sick.' Ashley said, peering into Vanessa's eyes.

'She's fine, Ash.' Zac said sharply, as he opened cupboards and drawers, trying to find something for Vanessa to eat.

'Well now we _know _she's not fine.' Lucas remarked.

'I'm just worried, is all.' Ashley said softly, turning to leave the room. Vanessa caught a hold of Ashley's hand and Ashley turned back to face her.

'I'm ok, I promise. I've got a headache, but that's all. I'll be fine.' Vanessa smiled reassuringly at Ashley. Ashley nodded.

'Ok. If you need anything, you know where to find me.' she turned and left the room, beckoning Lucas to follow her.

'You shouldn't have yelled at her.' Vanessa said softly.

'I know. I'm just worried about you.'

'I know. But you don't need to be. I'm ok.' Vanessa said, then she swayed on the spot. Zac caught her and gently pushed her down onto the couch.

'Sit there. I'm going to find you something to eat. I think there's some salad sandwiches in the refrigerator.' Zac went to the refrigerator and opened it. 'Aha! I knew there would be.' He pulled out 2 salad sandwiches and handed one to Vanessa, along with a packet of gummy worms. 'Have a few of those after you've eaten your sandwich. They'll give you energy to get through the next rehearsal. We should be finished by 9, so you'll be able to get a good amount of sleep tonight. Hopefully that'll help.'

'Hopefully.' Vanessa echoed unenthusiastically. She ate her sandwich in silence and then took the gummy worms back to her dressing room with her. Lisa touched up her makeup and hair and then left with a smile. Vanessa stood up; the room swam before her eyes. She sat down again quickly. She took a few deep breaths and stood up again, very slowly. She reached for her costume, and the room began to spin again. She dropped the costume, raced into the bathroom and threw up. She wiped her mouth and drank some water before attempting to put her costume on again. When she was dressed, she went into Zac's dressing room. He was in the bathroom, so she sat down and waited. When he emerged from the bathroom he smiled at her.

'You're looking better.' He commented.

'That's the makeup. I feel horrible.' Vanessa replied. Zac pulled her into a hug, placing a soft kiss on her forehead as he did so.

'Are you going to be ok to rehearse?'

'I don't have a choice. But I'll be fine. I'll make it through.'

'Ok. But if you get worse, you tell Kenny, ok?' Zac looked at Vanessa seriously. She nodded. Just then their call to stage came over the intercom. Zac took Vanessa's hand and they went to stage to begin rehearsal. Vanessa felt dizzy and sick all the way through the rehearsal. Nearly every time she came off stage, she ran to the bathroom to throw up. But she ran on the adrenaline of the show, and being in character helped. When the rehearsal finished at 9pm, Kenny sent everyone back to their dressing rooms to get changed before coming back for notes. Vanessa wiped off all her makeup, threw her hair into a messy ponytail and changed back into her sweat pants and hoodie, throwing up three times in the duration of this process. She put her glasses on, hoping that maybe they would help the itchiness in her eyes, although deep down she knew they wouldn't. She had a migraine, and the only thing that would help was plenty of rest and sleep. Unfortunately, it was going to be a while until she'd be able to do any of that. She made her way slowly back to the stage for notes and nearly ran into Zac on the way down the corridor.

'Where were you? Kenny's started notes already.'

'I was just changing.' Vanessa said, although her voice sounded small and very far away. Zac looked into her eyes.

'You look terrible. We need to tell Kenny that you're sick.'

'No, don't. I'll be fine. I just need to get some sleep, that's all.' Vanessa protested. Zac sighed.

'Ok, if you say so. But if you're still sick tomorrow, I'm going to tell Kenny. No arguments.'

'Ok. Come on, we'd better get to notes.'

That night, Vanessa barely slept. She had trouble falling asleep, even though she'd taken asprin. Her head was pounding and her eyes were stinging. She tried to lay still, any small movement making the pain worse. She was still trying to fall asleep when the alarm went off and Zac woke up. He immediately looked over at her and she tried to make it look as though she too was just waking up.

'How are you feeling?'

'Better, actually. I told you I'd feel better after some sleep.' She lied with a smile. Zac grinned.

'Good.' He leaned over and kissed her, beginning an intense makeout session. When they finally separated, Vanessa's head was spinning, and not in a good way.

'I'm going to take a shower. You order some breakfast.' She said with a (fake) smile.

'Don't you want me to join you in the shower?' Zac asked with a grin. Vanessa laughed lightly.

'We don't have time. Just order the breakfast.' She replied with a grin. As soon as she closed the bathroom door, she turned the water on in the shower to hide the noise of her throwing up. When she'd finally thrown up as much as she could, she took a shower and dressed quickly. She took a few deep breaths and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked terrible.

'I'm glad I'm wearing makeup on stage.' She muttered as she left the bathroom.

All morning, Vanessa was throwing up, her eyes stinging, her head pounding and her vision fuzzy. During their lunch break, she lay on the floor in her dressing room, eyes closed, trying to block out the light and the noise. Zac had gone for a walk down the street with Monique and the boys, so she knew she didn't have to worry about him finding out she was still sick. The only problem was Ashley.

'What's wrong?' Ashley asked for about the 9th time. 'You can't keep saying you're fine, because I know you're not.'

'Ok, I have a migraine. It started during tech rehearsal the other day and I haven't been able to get rid of it. It's getting worse. Yesterday I started to throw up, and today my vision is fuzzy.' Vanessa finally gave in.

'What?! You need to tell Kenny. Does Zac know?'

'He knew yesterday, but I told him that I was feeling better today. And I'm not going to tell Kenny, I've made it through three dress rehearsals so far, I only have to get through this afternoon, and then we have tonight and tomorrow off. I'm just going to go back to the hotel and sleep.'

'Ok…if you say so. But if you're still sick on Monday morning, I'm going to tell Kenny. We open in 4 days. You need to get well before then.'

'I know. I just need to rest. I'll be fine after I spend tomorrow sleeping. Ok?'

'Ok. I suppose you want me to keep this to myself?'

'Yes please. I do not want Zac finding out I lied to him. That means don't tell Lucas either.'

'Fine, I won't.'

'Thanks Ash.' Just then they heard the voices of the boys and Monique. 'Shit, they're back, help me up, Zac can't see me like this.' Vanessa got slightly panicky. Ashley pulled her up off the floor and pushed her down into a chair. Zac came into the room and flicked the lights on.

'What are you doing in the dark?' he asked curiously.

'It just gets really hot in here with all those lights on.' Ashley replied quickly. Zac nodded.

'How was lunch?' Vanessa asked to change the subject.

'It was good. We just went to that café across the road, but it was nice.'

'Cool. I'll come with you next time.' Vanessa stood up, wrapping her arms around Zac. He hugged her tightly.

'You ok?'

'Yeah. Just felt like a hug from my boy.'

'Well you're more than welcome to have as many hugs as you want.' Zac said softly. Just then, Lisa came into the room.

'Sorry to interrupt, but I really need to do your hair and makeup, Vanessa. You start warm up in 45 minutes.' She said hesitantly.

'Don't worry about it, its completely fine.' Zac said with a grin as he left the room. Vanessa plopped down onto her chair and let Lisa work.

'How long have you two been dating?' Lisa asked.

'Nearly a year.' Vanessa smiled.

'Really? That's all? I would have thought you'd been together for years.' Lisa said in surprise. Vanessa chuckled.

'It's a very long story. I'm pretty sure we fell in love within a few days of meeting each other. It just took us a long time to finally get together. Looking back on it, I guess we were already a couple; we just hadn't made it official. We spent a year and a half being "best friends" before we finally realized we were meant to be together.' She explained. Lisa nodded in understanding.

'I've heard a story very similar to that, so I completely understand what you're talking about. You make a cute couple.'

'Thanks. Ashley goes nuts over how cute we are. Corbin says we make him sick.'

'Clearly he doesn't understand true love.'

'Clearly.' Vanessa agreed with a laugh.

'Ok, hun, you're all finished. I'll see you later on.' Lisa smiled and waved over her shoulder as she left the room. Vanessa sighed, as she picked up her water bottle and some Advil.

'I thought you were feeling better.' Zac said accusingly from the doorway. Vanessa jumped.

'Geez, Zac, don't _do_ that!'

'Sorry. What's with the Advil? You said you were feeling better.'

'I was, but the headache is back. Just a little though, I'm fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes, I'm sure.'

'Ok. I'm sorry, I just worry about you.'

'I know you do. And I'm glad you do. It's nice to have someone who cares.'

'What are you talking about? You have so many people in this world that care about you.'

'Oh, I know, I just meant… well I don't really know what I meant. Either way, it's nice to have you looking out for me.'

'It's my job. Now come on, lets go to warm up.' Zac slung an arm around Vanessa's shoulders and together they went out to warm up.

**Yeah, thats right, I still haven't told you whats wrong with her. mwahahahaha. I'm evil, I know. you'll just have to wait to find out. **

**Reveiw!!**

**Em xx**


	14. Everyone knows as it gets worse

**A/N: Chapter 14. Well i was going to update 2 days ago... but i forgot. And for that I apologise. Ok, so here is the next installment and its particularly interesting. I'm feeling so christmassy at the moment, I may have to write a christmas chapter!! Ok, enjoy!!**

Vanessa made it through the afternoon's rehearsal, but only just. She nearly missed a scene because she was throwing up, and she almost fell over during one of the dances because her vision was so blurry that she couldn't see where she was going. She stumbled back to her dressing room after the rehearsal finished, changed out of her costume, pulled on her sweat pants, and then the room began to spin. She held onto the bench, but the spinning didn't stop. Then everything went black.

Zac finished changing and went to stage for notes. Vanessa wasn't there, but everyone else was.

'Ashley, could you please go find Vanessa and tell her she's late for notes.' Kenny said, clearly exasperated. Ashley stood up and ran down the corridor to Vanessa's dressing room. She knocked on the door and got no answer.

'Nessa?' she called as she opened the door. She saw Vanessa lying on the floor and gasped. She hesitated for a moment, not sure if she should go get Zac but then common sense got the better of her. She raced back to the stage.

'Zac! Nessa's… you have to get down there.' She panted. Zac jumped up and ran down the corridor.

'Ashley? What is going on?' Kenny asked.

'Vanessa's sick.' Ashley said, before running back down the corridor after Zac. Zac skidded to a stop outside Vanessa's dressing room and went in.

'Shit. Nessa? Nessa can you hear me?' he asked frantically, cradling her head in his lap. Vanessa stirred slightly and mumbled something indistinct, but didn't open her eyes. Ashley handed Vanessa's jacket to Zac.

'Put that around her, the others will be here in a minute, Kenny included.' She said sensibly. Zac did so.

'Nessa, please wake up. Baby, can you hear me? Ash, what happened?' Zac asked. Ashley hesitated. 'Ash…' Zac said warningly. 'This is not the time for you to be keeping secrets.'

'I thought everyone had forgotten about that!' Ashley's eyes were wide.

'Ash, now is not the time. Just tell me what's wrong with Nessa!'

'Ok, ok. She's had a migraine for three days. She's been throwing up, feeling dizzy, vision was blurry, all that stuff. She needs to rest, Zac, she's been working too hard on nowhere near enough sleep.' Ashley spilled.

'Why didn't she say anything? I would have given her time off.' Kenny said from the doorway.

'She didn't want to let anybody down.'

'She wouldn't have… you know what, never mind. Zac, take her back to the hotel. Ashley, notes. On stage. Now.' Kenny turned and went back to the stage. Ashley gave Zac one quick panicked look, and followed Kenny. Zac picked up Vanessa and looked around wildly. How was he supposed to carry her _and _their bags? Emily materialized at his side, holding his bag.

'I've got the bags, you just take her.' she said, smiling reassuringly. Zac smiled gratefully. When they reached the street, Emily hailed a cab and Zac placed Vanessa gently into it and climbed in after her. Emily climbed into the front seat and gave the cab driver the address of the hotel. When they reached the hotel, they all went in; Zac unlocked the door to their room and put Vanessa down on the bed. He took the bags from Emily with a smile.

'Thank you.' He said gratefully.

'No problem. Now, I have to get back, but I'll see you later, ok?' she turned and ran down the hall without waiting for an answer. Zac closed the door and turned back to Vanessa, lying scarily still on the bed. He flicked the light off, knowing that when Vanessa woke up, migraine still intact, she wasn't going to enjoy having the lights on.

'Come on, Nessa baby, I need you to come back to me. I need you to wake up.' He whispered, brushing her hair off her forehead. He ran to the bathroom and wet a washcloth, holding it to Vanessa forehead as he whispered to her to wake up. Nearly 20 minutes later, her eyes fluttered and she woke up.

'Zac?' she groaned.

'I'm here baby. How are you feeling?' Zac breathed a sigh of relief.

'Horrible.' Vanessa said tearfully.

'Its ok, you can rest until Monday. We don't have to go to the theatre tomorrow.' Zac said soothingly. Vanessa sat up frantically.

'How did we get back here? Did I miss notes?' she asked in a panic.

'Its ok, calm down. You collapsed in your dressing room. Kenny told me to bring you back here. Its ok, he's not mad. He just wants you to rest and get better for opening night.'

'Ok.' Vanessa lay back down. 'How long was I out?'

'Nearly an hour. Here, take this, its asprin. It'll help put you to sleep.' Zac said, handing Vanessa a pill and a glass of water. Vanessa took the pill. 'Good girl. I'm going to stay here, ok? If you need anything, I won't be any further away than the bathroom.'

'You don't have to stay. I'm just going to go to sleep. You can go hang out with the others.'

'Its ok, we're all exhausted, they're probably going to go sleep too. I'll stay here. I think I might try to get some sleep too.' Zac kissed Vanessa gently. 'Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'll be right here.'

'Ok. Good night Zachary. I love you.' Vanessa was beginning to sound drowsy already.

'Goodnight Vanessa Anne.' He watched her sleep for a while before he heard whispers outside the door. He opened it to find Ashley and Lucas outside. Monique and Corbin were coming up the corridor.

'How is she?' Lucas asked.

'She's ok. She's sleeping. She'll probably be out for most of tomorrow too. She's really not well.'

'I can't believe she was that sick and we didn't notice.' Corbin said. Zac looked at the floor.

'I feel so guilty. I knew she was sick, but she told me she was feeling better. I should have known she was lying.'

'How could you have known she was lying? Don't blame yourself.' Ashley interjected sympathetically.

'I know her better than anyone else in the world. I should have easily been able to tell that she was sick, even though she said she felt fine. I just can't believe she didn't say anything because she didn't want to let anyone down. She should know better than that.' Zac was beginning to sound a little stressed. Ashley shot a warning look at the others. They made excuses to leave and went back to their own rooms.

'Zac, you can't beat yourself up about this. It is in no way your fault. And of course you believed her when she said she was fine. You trust her unconditionally, so there was no way you would ever suspect she was lying to you. It is not your fault. She just wanted to be strong for the sake of the show.'

'I was so worried about her, Ash. What if she had something really serious and she didn't tell anyone. She could have died. What if something had happened while she was on stage and she fell off the stage? Or if she fell down the stairs or something. So many horrible things could have happened.'

'But they didn't. She'll be ok, she just needs to rest. You have to calm down, for her sake. She needs you to look after her.'

'I know, I'm sorry. I'm going to go back in there. I think I need some sleep too. I'll see you tomorrow. And thanks.'

'It's ok. I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well.' Ashley smiled and went back to her room. Zac opened the door and went back inside, undressing and climbing into bed next to Vanessa and wrapping his arms around her.

The next morning, Zac woke up to an empty bed.

'Nessa?' he called, holding his breath for a response. She came out of the bathroom and smiled at him, holding one hand to her head.

'I'm here. Good morning.'

'How are you feeling?'

'Still not good. I'm going to stay in bed today, I think.'

'Good idea. Have you taken some more asprin?'

'No, I'll take some now. How are _you _feeling? I'm sorry I gave you such a scare yesterday.'

'It's ok. I just wish you'd told me you were sick. I would have looked after you more.'

'I just didn't want to let anybody down. Least of all, you.'

'Baby, you have never let me down. Not once in the entire time I've known you. And I'm pretty sure you never will. Promise me you'll tell me next time you're sick.'

'I will, I promise. I'm sorry. I love you.'

'I love you too. Now go on and take that asprin and get back into bed. I want to get you better.' Zac smiled. When Vanessa climbed back into bed, Zac pulled her close. Her head dropped onto his shoulder and she leaned into him, her legs tangled with his and her arm draped across him.

'More comfortable than any pillow.' She said softly. Zac chuckled.

'Thanks.' A few minutes later, they were both asleep. 2 hours later, Zac woke up. He climbed slowly out of bed so as not to disturb Vanessa. He dressed quietly and left the room to find the others and let them know how Vanessa was. He knocked on Ashley's door and she opened it with wide eyes.

'How is she?'

'She's ok. She's sleeping right now.'

'Good. Is she feeling even a little better?'

'I think she is. She still feels horrible though. She's going to stay in bed all day. I better get back; I promised I'd stay with her. I just thought you might want to know how she is.'

'Yeah I did want to know. Thanks. Go and be with her. I'll come by your room later and see her.'

'Ok. Have a good day, Ash.' Zac went back into his room. Once again, the bed was empty.

'Nessa?'

'In the bathroom.' She replied weakly. She was sitting against the shower, holding her head.

'What happened?' Zac asked, rushing over to her.

'I was throwing up and I got dizzy and fell and then I couldn't get back up.' Vanessa replied.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you.' Zac said, helping her up and kissing her forehead gently.

'It's ok. Don't worry about it.' Vanessa replied with a small smile. Zac breathed a sigh of relief. She was ok. He put her back to bed and climbed in next to her.

'Go back to sleep, it'll help.' He whispered. For the rest of the day, she slept, on and off, taking asprin every few hours when she woke up. Zac watched TV, keeping one eye on Vanessa the entire time. At about 5pm, Ashley knocked on the door.

'How is she now?'

'I don't really know. She wakes up every few hours, takes some more asprin and then goes back to sleep. I'm hoping she's feeling better.'

'Ok. Well, let me know if you need anything.'

'I will. Thanks.' Zac smiled gratefully as Ashley turned and went down the corridor to Lucas's room.

'How's Nessa?' Lucas asked when Ashley entered the room.

'I don't know. Zac said she's been asleep practically all day, only waking up to take some asprin and then going back to sleep.'

'Ok. She'll be ok, you know. You don't have to worry about her. Zac's looking after her.'

'I know. I can't help but worry about her. She's my best friend. And something Zac said last night…'

'What'd he say?' Lucas asked, putting his arm around Ashley and pulling her close.

'He said what if she had something really serious and hadn't told anyone. There would have been no way to know if it was serious or not. It might still be serious, and we don't know it. What if she's really sick?' Ashley began to cry.

'She'll be ok, Ash.' Lucas said sympathetically. 'I really doubt that she's seriously ill. But if she's still sick tomorrow, maybe you should suggest she sees a doctor.'

'I think I will. Thank you for understanding. I know I'm probably overreacting, but I just want her to be ok.'

'I know you do. It's ok. If it's necessary, we'll get her to a doctor tomorrow. But for right now, you need to relax.' Lucas began to gently massage Ashley's shoulders. She relaxed under the feeling of his hands and the tears stopped.

'Thank you.' She whispered.

'It's my job.' Lucas replied softly.

**Do you think she's seriously ill? Next chapter, you'll find out. Oh, and did you like the way I subtly slotted Ashley's secret in there? I'd forgotten about it, until "Love is a malicious bitch" reminded me, so I've found a way to put it back in. I think next chapter you should find out what it is. So, I'm hoping that after this chapter, I should hit 200 reveiws!! Wooooooo!!!! So you better review... or else.**

**Em xx**


	15. Getting better?

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in forever, I went away for Christmas and I didn't have a computer, but I'm home now and I'm finally updating.**

**It's not my best chapter, and I'm hoping that saying that won't discourage you from reading. Cause if you don't read, you may just miss something extremely important…. Hint hint.

* * *

**

The next morning, Zac woke before Vanessa. He looked over at her. She certainly looked better; she wasn't nearly as pale as she had been yesterday. He looked over at the clock. The alarm would be going off in 3 minutes. He quickly switched it off and gently shook Vanessa awake.

'Nessa? How are you feeling?' he whispered, brushing her hair off her face. She stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled softly when she saw Zac looking down at her.

'Good morning.' She whispered.

'Good morning gorgeous girl. How do you feel?'

'Ok. A lot better. I still have a headache, but it's a million times better than it was.'

'Good. Will you be able to rehearse today?'

'I think so.'

'Ok. I was thinking maybe we talk to Kenny and see if you can make it through one rehearsal at a time. If you make it through the first one and still feel ok, we'll do the next one. What do you think about that?'

'That sounds good. What time do we have to be at the theatre?'

'9. Rehearsal starts at 12. Today should be a lot better. We get 4 and a half hours break between the end of one rehearsal and the start of the next. It's a lot less crazy than last week was.'

'Good. I don't think I could have made it through any more days like we had last week.'

'I don't think any of us could. Come on, we'd better get up. Bus leaves in 45 minutes. You take a shower, I'll order breakfast.' Zac shooed Vanessa into the bathroom.

When they arrived at the theatre, Kenny was waiting for them. Vanessa looked at Zac, her eyes wide. Zac took her hand and squeezed it gently.

'Morning cast!' Kenny said cheerfully. 'How are you all?'

'Good.' They chorused.

'Excellent. Nessa?'

'I'm ok. I should get through the day.'

'Good. If you can't, tell us. Don't push yourself; we need you to be well for opening night. We only have 4 rehearsals left, and if you can't make it through, you need to let us know. The last thing we want to do is put an understudy on stage for opening night. Yes?' Kenny said seriously. Vanessa nodded meekly. Kenny grinned.

'Ok then! Go get ready, warm up is at 10.30.' He dismissed them and they all went into their dressing rooms, except for Zac who followed Vanessa.

'See? It's fine.' He said, kissing her on the forehead. She nodded silently. Zac sat down in her chair and pulled her onto his lap. 'Are you sure you're feeling better? You're very quiet.' He said, wrapping his arms around her.

'Yeah….'

'But? There's a but there, I know there is.'

'It's just that I don't want them to have to call off a rehearsal because of me. I don't want to be responsible for that.'

'Its ok, Kenny said its fine. I know you don't want to let anybody down, but I promise you, no one would be mad. Everyone just wants you to get better.'

'I know.'

'Hey guys! How are you doing, Nessa?' Emily asked from the doorway.

'Hey Em! Come in.' Vanessa got up off Zac's lap and hugged Emily. Zac stood up too and hugged her.

'How are you feeling?' Emily asked.

'Better. I hope I can make it through today.'

'Well, I'm sure Kenny explained everything to you. You don't have to do all the rehearsals. He just wants you to be well for opening night.'

'I know. And I'm hoping I will be. But enough about me. How are you? We haven't seen you in forever!'

'I know, it's a busy job, this one. Once we start performance season, I'll be around a lot more. I miss hanging out with you guys.'

'We miss you too! But then again, we haven't been able to hang out much either, what with all the work we've been doing, and then me getting sick.'

'Yeah, I know. It'll be great when we can all hang out again. We'll go explore New York!'

'Yes indeed we will.' Vanessa grinned, sitting back down on Zac's lap.

'Well I'd better go; I just stopped in to say hi. I've gotta go see the others and then get back to stage. I'll see you guys later.'

'Definitely. See ya, Em.' They bid her farewell and Vanessa settled back against Zac.

'I feel kind of guilty. I hadn't realized Em hadn't been around.'

'Hey, don't worry about it. We've all been so preoccupied with rehearsing, and then you getting sick, I'm sure she won't mind. In fact, she won't know. Don't stress about it.' Zac kissed Vanessa's neck.

'ok.' she wound her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. Just then there was a knock at the door. Lisa stood there looking extremely awkward.

'Hey Lisa!' Vanessa greeted with a smile. Lisa smiled in relief and entered the room.

'Hey. How are you two?'

'We're good. How are you? How was your day off?'

'It was nice. I didn't do much, just sat around the hotel, but it was good.'

'Well, I suppose I better go get my hair looked at.' Zac said, running his hand through it.

'Don't do that, you'll only make Monica's job harder!' Vanessa admonished, flattening it down again. Zac grinned and left the room.

'So how was your day off?' Lisa asked.

'I was in bed all day.' Vanessa replied. Lisa raised her eyebrows. 'Oh, nothing like that. I was sick. I slept all day. Zac watched TV.'

'Well that's disappointing. I'm a single girl, trying to live vicariously through you and your spunky boyfriend. I need to hear exciting things.' Lisa said. Vanessa laughed.

'We're not that exciting, unfortunately. I mean, yeah, we have our fun, but we're probably the most boring couple you'll ever come across. Our relationship is the one thing in my life that is constant and safe and dependable. Don't get me wrong, I love Zac more than life itself, but he never does anything particularly romantic for me. Not to mention, we've barely been separated since we got together. We were filming when we first started dating, and then we went on our promotional tour, and then we began rehearsals for this. We've probably been apart for about 2 weeks in total.'

'Wow. That's fairly intense. But it explains why you seem like you've been together for years. Well, I guess I'll have to live vicariously through someone else. But if anything highly exciting happens, you be sure and tell me, ok?'

'I will.' Vanessa said with a laugh.

The rehearsal went well, and when they all got together for notes, Kenny had almost nothing to say.

'We're approaching near perfection. If tonight's rehearsal goes as well as today's did, I'll cancel tomorrow's rehearsal. Nessa, you looked great today, how are you feeling?'

'Ummm….. Ok. I'll think I'll have a nap during the break and I should feel good by tonight.'

'Excellent. Ok everyone, go have a break and I'll see you at 6 for warm up.' Kenny grinned at them as they all stood up and wandered back to their dressing rooms. Zac took Vanessa's hand and squeezed it gently. She looked at him with a small smile.

'How are you _really_ feeling?' he asked.

'Not great. But not terrible either. I'll take some Advil, have a sleep in my dressing room and I should be fine for tonight.'

'Ok. I'll stay with you.'

'You don't have to; you can out to eat with the others if you want to.'

'I want to stay with you. But I'll go if you don't want me to stay.'

'No, I definitely want you to stay.' Vanessa flopped down onto the couch. Zac sat next to her and she shifted so her head was in his lap and her legs were dangling over the arm of the couch. 'That's better.'

'Comfortable?' Zac asked. Vanessa grinned.

'Yep. Are you?'

'I certainly am.'

'Good.' Vanessa closed her eyes. She was asleep within a few minutes. When Ashley came in approximately half an hour later, she stopped dead when she saw that Vanessa was asleep.

'I'll come back later.' She said softly.

'No, stay. She's a heavy sleeper, we could run a rehearsal in here and she wouldn't wake up.' Zac joked. Ashley laughed softly.

'Ok. How's she doing?' she asked cautiously.

'She's a lot better than she was, but still not great. She'll make it through rehearsal ok, but I can imagine she'll be feeling pretty crappy when we finish up tonight.'

'Ok.' Ashley nodded, looking very apprehensive.

'Ash, I know you're worried about her, but she's ok. And I know you're not going to believe it until she's completely better, but I'm telling you anyway.'

'Its just… last time someone I love got sick… I just want her to be ok, you know?' Ashley had tears in her eyes.

'No, I don't know. What are you talking about?'

'Nothing. I'm just worried.'

'I know. Nothing bad is going to happen to her. But I can understand why you're concerned.'

'Yeah…' Ashley trailed off, looking at Vanessa, who was beginning to stir. Her eyes fluttered open and she grinned.

'Hey Ash.'

'Hey. How are you feeling?' Ashley managed a small smile.

'A little better. How are you doing?'

'I'm good. Lucas is driving me nuts.'

'Why? What's he done now?' Vanessa sat up and leaned against Zac.

'He's just so excited about this whole thing. A little too excited I think. He's like a little kid on Christmas morning.' Ashley rolled her eyes. Vanessa grinned.

'That sounds like a lot of fun. So glad I haven't got that problem.'

'I could make it your problem.' Zac said with a grin.

'No thanks.'

'Good choice. Trust me; you really don't want to have to deal with this.' Ashley said seriously. Vanessa and Zac laughed. Ashley glared at them but then gave in and started to laugh as well.

'What time is it?' Vanessa asked suddenly.

'Summertime!' Ashley and Zac chorused. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

'Yes, thank you that was just exactly the answer I was hoping for. Seriously, what time is it? And don't say it again.' She warned Zac who had a gleam in his eye and a grin on his face.

'Darn.' His face fell and he crossed his arms, pouting like a child. Vanessa giggled.

'Ash? In all seriousness, what time is it?'

'Nearly a quarter to five. We've got warm up in a bit over an hour.'

'Darn, that means Lisa's going to be here soon to do my hair and stuff.'

'Yeah. And I'll have to sit through the torture again. I swear having your hair pulled and having makeup implements stuck in your eye _that much_ is not natural. I think Monica is part of a conspiracy to kill me. Or at least torture me into insanity.' Zac joked.

'Don't be such a baby. Beauty is pain, Zachary. Now you understand the sacrifice that we as women have to make.' Ashley replied.

'Women?' Zac scoffed. Vanessa turned to look at him. 'I mean, yeah, women. Beautiful women.' He corrected himself. Vanessa grinned.

'That's better.' She remarked.

'Hey Ash!' Lucas called from the corridor. Evidently they had all returned from wherever it was they had been.

'What, Lucas?!' Ashley yelled back.

'Grace is waiting for you in your dressing room!' Lucas replied. Ashley rolled her eyes.

'Well apparently that's my cue to leave. I'll see you guys at warm up.' She left the room.

'Those two are so funny.' Vanessa said with a laugh.

'I know. I wonder if they laugh at us like that.' Zac replied.

'I don't doubt it. What with all the cuteness and whatever, I'm sure they spend hours laughing at us. But it's ok, because now we get to laugh at them too.' Vanessa said, her head dropping onto Zac's shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes, until Lisa entered the room.

'Ok, looks like I have to go be tortured now.' Zac said with a sigh. 'It was nice knowing you Nessa. It's been fun.' He left the room dramatically amid Vanessa's giggles.

'I can't believe people pay him to act.' She said to Lisa as she sat down to have her hair re-done.

When rehearsal was over that night, Vanessa was tired and sick. She sat through notes, where they were told that tomorrow's day rehearsal was cancelled, but they were still required for the night rehearsal. She changed out of her costume slowly, feeling a little light headed. When she was finally dressed in sweat pants and a t shirt, she began to hang her costume again. Until Ashley and Zac entered the room.

'You, go, get on the bus.' Ashley said, pointing at her. 'I'll finish this.' She shooed Vanessa out of the room and Zac followed. Vanessa climbed slowly onto the bus and sat leaning against Zac, her aching head on his shoulder, and his arm around her protectively. He didn't need to ask how she was feeling, he knew she was miserable. He kissed the top of her head gently and watched intently as her eyes fluttered closed.

'How's she doing?' Monique asked, standing in the aisle of the bus.

'She's ok. She needs some sleep. It's good that we don't have rehearsal until tomorrow night.'

'Yeah it is. But she made it through the day, so she should be ok for tomorrow, yeah?'

'Yeah she should. She'll be fine, she just needs to rest.'

'Good. Sorry to annoy you by asking. I know you must be sick of hearing that question.'

'Its fine, Mo. I know everyone's worried about her.' Zac smiled at Monique who returned the smile and took her seat as Ashley climbed onto the bus.

'Ok, let's go get some sleep, shall we?' she asked with a smile. Everyone agreed whole heartedly and the bus took off towards the hotel, where warm and comfortable beds awaited them.

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**Crappy chapter, I know. Sorry. Bit of a filler I think. However, did you catch the subtle hint bout Ashley's secret? Next chapter, opening night. Will it be filled with drama? I think it might be….**


	16. Opening Night

**A/N: Chapter 16. Ok, so I go back to uni in less than 2 weeks and I won't be able to update until like, July. So I'm currently trying to hurridly finish the fic so you can all get it done and not have to wait months for the chapters like you did last year. So they'll be coming a lot faster, probably every couple of days. Woo! I just hope i can finish it in time. I'm feeling the pressure... and its not fun.**

**Anyway... here we go.

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The next day, everyone stayed in bed until 5, when they were required at the theatre for their final rehearsal. The rehearsal was great. Everything was executed perfectly, lines were completely exact and Kenny was very impressed.

'Do that tomorrow night. Exactly as you just did it. That's all I have to say to you. Go home, rest, and be back here at 4.30 tomorrow afternoon.' He walked off the stage, and everyone ran excitedly back too their dressing rooms, the impending opening night starting to lift their spirits already. All except for one person. Vanessa was curled up on the couch in her dressing room, tears streaming down her face, seeping through the lashes of her tightly closed eyes. Zac was sitting next to her, stroking her back and brushing her hair off her face so the tears had an unobstructed trip down her cheeks.

'It hurts.' She whimpered.

'I know.' Zac soothed, his calm voice hiding his desperation. Ashley entered the room and exchanged a look with Zac.

'Bus is here.' She remarked. Zac nodded, picking Vanessa up off the couch and carrying her out to the bus. He took the seat next to the window, holding Vanessa on his lap, her face buried in his chest. The ride back to the hotel was very quiet, only the sounds of Vanessa whimpering and a few whispers from the chorus members at the front of the bus echoing through the vehicle. Zac put Vanessa to bed immediately upon arrival at the hotel, and climbed into bed next to her, holding her tightly as she finally fell asleep.

They both slept well, and when Zac woke at 10am, Vanessa was still sleeping. He crawled carefully out of bed so as not to wake her, and then went across the hall to Ashley's room. He knocked on the door but got no answer. He went down the hall a little way and knocked on Lucas's door. Ashley opened it and her eyes widened as she ushered him into the room.

'She's still sleeping.' He said before Ashley had a chance to ask anything. She nodded.

'Do you want me to sit with her for a while? You look like you need a break.'

'No, I'm ok. But if you'd like to sit with her, you can. I'll stay and chat with Lucas for a while. Call when she wakes up.'

'I will.' Ashley kissed Lucas quickly, smiled reassuringly at Zac and left the room. Zac flopped onto the couch and put his head in his hands.

'How are you doing, man?' Lucas asked. Zac groaned.

'I hate it when she's sick. I mean, she's sleeping fine, so I'm not tired, she's not contagious, so I don't feel sick, but I hate watching her in pain and not being able to do anything. It's mentally exhausting and its killing me that I can't fix it and make her feel better.'

'I thought it might be something like that. I mean, I'm kind of in the same boat, but not quite to the same extent. Ash is so worried about Nessa, and there's nothing I can do to reassure her and convince her that it's going to be ok and I hate it. I've been trying to pump her full of excitement about the show, but she doesn't seem to be feeling it. What?' Lucas asked in response to Zac's laughter.

'Ash told Nessa and me yesterday that she was having trouble dealing with your level of excitement about the show. She said you were like a kid on Christmas morning.'

'Oh. Well maybe I'll tone it down then.' Lucas said, joining in Zac's laughter.

Meanwhile, in Zac and Vanessa's room….

Ashley entered the room quietly and sat down on the couch, staring intently at Vanessa. After a few minutes, she decided that Vanessa looked ok, so she picked up a magazine and began to flick through it. When Vanessa began to stir, Ashley looked up, waiting for Vanessa to wake. Vanessa's eyes fluttered open.

'Zac?' she mumbled, sitting up slowly.

'He's in Lucas's room.' Ashley said. Vanessa nodded sleepily. 'How are you feeling?'

'Like I've been run over by a truck. Would you be able to get me a glass of water please?'

'Of course.' Ashley jumped up and filled a glass, handing it to Vanessa.

'Thanks.' Vanessa said, taking 2 Advil tablets and laying back down. Ashley stood awkwardly by the bed, looking apprehensive. Vanessa looked up at her. 'You can sit down, Ash.' She said, patting the empty space where Zac usually laid.

'Sorry.' Ashley said and hurriedly sat down. Vanessa looked at her seriously.

'I know you're worried about me, but I'll be fine, I swear.'

'I know. It's just that… well… after what happened with Lauren… I can't help but worry.' Ashley had tears in her eyes, and Vanessa looked at her, confused.

'What? Lauren as in, your cousin Lauren? What happened?'

'Oh. I forgot I hadn't told anyone.' Ashley muttered.

'Ash, what happened? What's going on?' Vanessa asked with concern. Ashley sighed.

'Ok. Do you remember when you and Zac were keeping it a secret that you were going to move in together?'

'Yeah…'

'Well around that same time, I was keeping my own secret. See, a couple of weeks before that, I got diagnosed with depression. I'm better now, but…'

'What?! Why? And why didn't you say anything?'

'I just didn't want anyone to know. And it was because of Lauren. You met her once, right?'

'Yeah. She was the same age as you. You two grew up together, didn't you?'

'Yeah. Well, she died. It was a few weeks before Christmas.'

'Oh my god, Ash. Why didn't you tell us she was sick?'

'We didn't know. That's why it was so hard. She just… died one day. No one knew she was sick until it was too late.' Ashley had tears streaming down her cheeks. Vanessa gasped.

'Oh my god, Ash, I'm so sorry. But I'm glad you told me. At least now I can understand. But I promise, nothing like that is going to happen. It's just a migraine. That's all.' Vanessa said softly. Ashley nodded. All of a sudden, Vanessa's eyes closed and her head lolled to the side.

'Nessa? Are you ok?' Ashley asked frantically, shaking Vanessa gently. She got no response. Her heart began to beat very fast and her breathing became ragged. She ran into the hall and banged on Lucas's door. When Lucas opened it, he took one look at her and took her hands in his.

'What is it?'

'Its Nessa… she's passed out… I don't know wha…' Before she could even finish her sentence, Zac was out the door and into his room. Ashley and Lucas followed and entered the room to see Zac kneeling beside the bed.

'Nessa? Come on, I need you to wake up… come on baby…' he was clearly distressed. Lucas ran to the bathroom and rinsed a washcloth with cold water, running back into the room and handing the cloth to Zac, who placed it on Vanessa's forehead.

'Should I call an ambulance?' Ashley asked through her tears. Lucas pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

'It's ok. I'll call.' He said, pulling his cell phone out his pocket and holding onto Ashley with the other hand.

'Don't.' Zac said. Lucas and Ashley turned to look at him. 'They'll want to keep her overnight. She'd never forgive herself if she missed opening night. She'd kill me if she woke up in hospital. We can't call the ambulance. She'll wake up in her own time. She did last time. And she actually felt better when she woke up. She's not going to hospital.'

'Ok. Is there anything we can do?'

'No. we just have to wait. You don't have to stay though.'

'We are not going _anywhere_.' Ashley said angrily. Zac threw his hands up in defense.

'Fine.' He went back to stroking Vanessa's hair and kissed her cheek tenderly. 'Come on baby, I need you to wake up.' He stroked her hair for almost an hour, as Lucas got a new cold washcloth every 10 minutes or so and Ashley sat on the couch crying. Finally, Vanessa's eyes opened and Zac breathed a sigh of relief, his head dropping onto the blankets beside Vanessa's hand.

'Oh my god.' He muttered in relief, tears in his eyes that he didn't want her to see. Ashley began to sob harder.

'Thank god.' Lucas breathed, pulling Ashley onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her.

'How long was I out this time?' Vanessa asked. Lucas looked at Zac, who raised his head to look at Vanessa, the tears almost gone.

'An hour.' He said, the tremor in his voice evident despite his attempt to not let his emotions show. Vanessa breathed in sharply and ran a hand through his hair.

'Are you ok?' she asked. Zac said nothing, only dropped his head back onto the bed.

'The question is, are _you _ok?' Lucas said. Vanessa nodded.

'I'm fine. I'm sorry I gave you such a scare. Ash, I'm so sorry.'

'It's ok.' Ashley said, her tears finally stopping. 'It's not your fault.' She took a deep breath and gave Vanessa a small smile. Vanessa sat up and smiled back, running her hand through Zac's hair again.

'Is he ok?' Lucas mouthed. Vanessa shook her head.

'Well, now that you're ok, we're gonna go get some rest for tonight.' Lucas said, giving Ashley a pointed look as she opened her mouth to protest. Her eyes widened in recognition and she nodded.

'Yeah. We'll see you a little later.' They left the room and as the door clicked shut, Zac raised his head.

'I'm sorry.' Vanessa said, swallowing the lump in her throat that came from seeing him so distressed.

'It's not your fault.' He choked out.

'Come here.' Vanessa said, scooting over to make room for him in the bed. He climbed in and she immediately wrapped her arms around him.

'Oh, Zachary.' She said softly, kissing his temple. They lay in bed for a while, until Zac's breathing evened out and all traces of tears were gone.

'I'm sorry for breaking down like that.' He said after nearly an hour of silence.

'It's ok. Clearly you needed it. I'm sorry I worried you like that.'

'It wasn't your fault. You can't help it that you're sick. Speaking of which, how do you feel?'

'A little better. I'll definitely make it through the show tonight.'

'Good.' Zac kissed Vanessa gently. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

'Come in!' Zac called. The door opened to reveal Emily.

'Hey!' she said cheerfully.

'Hey Em!' Zac greeted.

'How are you both?' Emily asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

'Good. We can't wait for tonight.' Vanessa replied with a grin, sitting up and taking Zac's hand in hers.

'I know, right! Opening nights are my favourite.' Emily said with a grin.

'Yeah?'

'Yeah. Present giving, complimentary alcohol, and so much excitement it feels like Christmas. And opening parties are always awesome. I can't wait to get drunk tonight.' Emily was grinning wider than they had ever seen. Zac felt uneasy.

'There's an opening night party?' he asked cautiously.

'Yeah. Its here at the hotel after the show. Its in Joseph's suite.' Emily replied, referring to their stage manager.

'Oh cool. I haven't had much to do with him yet, I can't wait to talk to him at the party tonight. And meet the rest of the chorus properly.' Vanessa said with a grin.

'If you're feeling ok.' Zac warned. Vanessa grinned.

'I know, I know.'

Several hours later, they were at the theatre, presentations had been made to Kenny and the designers, producers, musical director and numerous other people. Vanessa was now in her dressing room having her hair done, while staring at the gorgeous flowers Zac had given her. She couldn't believe how many gifts had been exchanged. She had exchanged gifts with Lisa, with Kenny, with Emily, with Ashley, Lucas, Monique and Corbin, and of course with Zac. But she had been given gifts by people she barely knew. Joseph, the stage manager, had bought her chocolates, a lot of the chorus members had given her cards and flowers and other gifts, and even some of the crew had given her gifts. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she saw herself surrounded by flowers, chocolates, cards and brightly colored gifts she hadn't opened yet. She had wedged Zac's card under the frame of the mirror, so she could read it every time she looked at herself. She looked up at it now, and read the words in his familiar scrawl.

_You're amazing, Nessa. I couldn't ask for a better dance partner, a better Gabriella, a better girlfriend. I love you more than anything else in the world. Have fun tonight, and every night afterwards. Love Zac xoxo_

She grinned to herself as she read the words for the millionth time. Her eyes traveled along the row of cards and fell on Ashley's.

_Nessa, you are the best. Don't know what I'd do without you. Break a leg tonight…in theatre that means good luck. Ha ha. Love you forever. Ash xx_

Vanessa's grin widened and Lisa noticed.

'That boyfriend of yours sure knows how to write a nice card.' She commented. Vanessa laughed.

'I was actually looking at Ashley's, but now that you mention it, yeah he does. He also knows how to impress a girl with flowers.' Vanessa said, gesturing to the enormous bouquet Zac had given her.

'He certainly does. I think it's safe to say I'm suitably jealous. Any chance you might want to share him?' Lisa asked.

'Sorry, but no. he's all mine. And I intend things to stay that way for a very long time.'

'Not to mention I'm strictly a one woman man.' Zac interrupted from the doorway. Vanessa grinned at him.

'Hey you. We were just talking about your wonderful flower arranging and card writing skills.'

'Well to be honest, the woman at the store arranged the flowers. Although I did tell her which ones to use. But the card is all me.' Zac said proudly.

'Well it's very sweet. I wish I had a great boyfriend like you.' Lisa said as she finished doing Vanessa's hair and started on her makeup.

'Like I said, strictly a one woman man.' Zac began to massage Vanessa's shoulders gently. 'How are you feeling?'

'Pretty good actually. It's more of a dull ache at the moment and I'm successfully ignoring it.'

'Good.' Ashley said as she entered the room. Vanessa grinned at her.

'How is it possible that your hair and makeup is done already and my hair was only just finished?' she asked incredulously. Ashley flipped her hair back and shrugged.

'Maybe because it was straightened already, whereas yours was a complete wreck from being in bed all day.' She said with a grin. Vanessa threw a makeup sponge at her.

'Hey, I need that!' Lisa protested. Ashley retrieved the sponge and handed it back to Lisa.

'Woah, party in Nessa's room.' Corbin said as he came in.

'It really is. My room is the place to be.' Vanessa grinned. Ashley rolled her eyes.

'Sure it is, Ness. We're only here because of… Zac. No one actually cares about you, you know.' she said mock scathingly. Vanessa pretended to be hurt, looking down a wiping away an imaginary tear.

'Hey, put that head up, I can't put your makeup on while you're looking at the floor.' Lisa admonished. Vanessa snapped her head up, but pouted, trying to look sad.

'I care about you.' Zac said sweetly.

'Awww you're too cute for words.' Corbin mocked. Vanessa poked her tongue out at him.

'Put that tongue away, I'm trying to work here.' Lisa said, beginning to grow just a little annoyed at the crowd that had gathered in the room. Vanessa obeyed and everyone else fell silent. Within a few minutes, Vanessa was ready.

'Ok, let's go do our opening night warm up!' Lucas said from the doorway. The group cheered loudly and headed for the stage. The had a great warm up, all the excitement everyone was feeling spilling over and creating an energy none of them had ever seen before. When they had finished warm up and done their sound check, they all raced back to their dressing rooms to get into costume quickly. When they were ready they gathered in the corridor, and put their arms around each others shoulders in a group huddle.

'Well guys, it's finally here.' Corbin said.

'The night we've been waiting for.' Ashley grinned.

'The most exciting night of the entire production.' Lucas bounced excitedly on his toes.

'The most highly anticipated night of this year.' Monique's eyes were shining.

'Opening night.' Zac and Vanessa whispered dramatically.

'Opening night!' they all cheered. They hugged each other tightly and headed for the stage. They stood on stage on the dark, knowing they had at least 20 minutes before the curtain went up. Zac had his arms wrapped around Vanessa's waist from behind and was whispering in her ear. Monique and Corbin were practicing one of the dances. Ashley and Lucas stood hand in hand as they chatted to Emily in the wings.

'You nervous?' Zac asked Vanessa softly. She nodded.

'A little. What about you?'

'Nah, not really. And you shouldn't be either. You're amazing. I wasn't kidding when I wrote that card.'

'I know you weren't. You know, I think Lisa might have a bit of a crush on you.' Vanessa said seriously.

'I doubt it.'

'I don't. She talks about you all the time. She's always asking me about you.'

'Really?' Zac sounded mildly impressed.

'Yeah. But I'm not surprised. I mean, look at you. Plus, she's seen you perform, so even if you weren't good looking, she'd have to be impressed with you. You're completely perfect.'

'Don't be stupid.'

'I'm not. She really does have a crush on you. I think.'

'You _think_?' Zac laughed. Vanessa joined in.

'Ok, so I don't know for certain. But it's a high possibility.'

'Can we change the subject now? I don't like the thought of anyone but you having a crush on me.'

'Well get used to it. Every girl in America wants to date you.'

'I will never be able to get used to that.'

'5 minutes!' Em called from the wings.

'Thank goodness, an escape from this conversation.' Zac said, leading Vanessa off into the wings so the stage could be swept one last time. When they were given their one minute call, Zac kissed Vanessa tenderly and ran around to the other side of the stage where he had to enter from. The curtain rose, they entered the stage and Vanessa couldn't help the huge grin that crept across her face. It was amazing to see people sitting in the theatre. They began to perform, getting lost in their characters and the story and when the curtain hit the boards at the end of act one, it was as though they had been woken from a dream. Vanessa squealed excitedly and ran at Zac who caught her up in his arms.

'Its amazing, you're amazing, the audience is amazing!' he beamed, spinning her around.

'Ohhhhh, Zac…. migraine, spinning, not enjoyable…' Vanessa said queasily. Zac immediately set her back on the floor.

'Are you ok?'

'I think so.' Vanessa said with a weak smile. Zac grinned and hugged her again.

'It's amazing!' He exclaimed. Vanessa grinned. She was in for a _very_ good night. Interval was over all too quickly and they went back out onto stage. When the show was over, they took their bows. When Zac and Vanessa ran onto stage for their bow, the audience exploded with cheers and screams and applause. Vanessa grinned at Zac, who grinned back. This had been the best night ever. However, it was set to get worse very soon…

**OOOOOOOO…… drama……. So this was going to be one chapter, but just this half is the longest chapter I've ever written, so I'm making it two chapters. The next chapter is the continuation of opening night. The party…. Some very interesting things are going to happen…..**

**So we finally got Ashley's secret out... how many people picked it? And we still don't quite know whats wrong with Vanessa... or do we?**

**Review! I think that next chapter I'm totally gonna give some shout outs to some special reviewers... does that sound like bribery? Thats probably cause it is... huh. Whatever. Just Review.**

**Em xx**


	17. Opening Night part 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I know I promised shout-outs... so here they are.**

**Love is a malicious bitch - I hope there is enought drama in this chapter to satisfy your drama craving.**

**Dani2606 - I wish I had a boyfriend like Zac too! I write him they way I'd like my dream guy to be...lol**

**kilikiwi - Your review was great, i loved that you wrote something about the chapter, rather than just "update soon!" I'm kinda glad you didn't guess Ashley's secret, it makes me fell as though I wrote it well so it wasn't obvious.**

**Charli - Well i'm not gonna write out your whole pen name, cause that just seems like we don't even know each other. Even though sometimes i wish we didn't... ha ha i'm totally kidding. I always love your reviews, even if i did ask for this one. Ha. Aunt Gladys has missed you...**

**Ok, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy it!

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When everyone got back to the hotel, they all headed straight for Joseph's suite. The party had already started when Zac and Vanessa walked in with Ashley, Lucas, Monique and Corbin. Most of the chorus members seemed to have been there for a while. Vanessa immediately grabbed a drink from the table and Zac snatched it off her. She pouted and gave him the puppy dog eyes.

'Come on Zachary, its opening night.' She whined. 'Don't I get to celebrate a little?'

'No. You've had a migraine for nearly a week. I don't think alcohol is going to help it.'

'Pleeeeeease……'

'Oh fine. But only that one. No more than that.' Zac said sternly. Vanessa grinned and kissed his cheek swiftly.

'I love you.' She said as she and Ashley ran of to join Emily. Zac watched her carefully.

'Can you three do me a favor and keep an eye on her?' he asked Corbin, Lucas and Monique. They all nodded their agreement.

An hour later, the party was beginning to get quite wild. Vanessa had kept to her word and had only had the one drink, whereas Emily was stumbling around, just like most of the other people in the room. For what felt like the fiftieth time, Vanessa and Ashley caught her before she hit the floor and set her back on her feet. She grinned drunkenly at them and stumbled across the room to where Joseph was standing, looking through some cd's. They followed her, seeing a chance to finally talk to Joseph and get to know him a little better.

'Hey girls.' He said with a grin. They grinned back. He wasn't the most attractive guy in the world, but he seemed like quite a nice guy so far.

'Great party.' Ashley said.

'It's pretty rockin, hey?' he replied, as he caught Emily with one arm and set her down on the couch.

'Ohhhhh, I nearly fell over just then.' She giggled. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

'Please tell me I'm not that bad when I get drunk.'

'You're not that bad. You're worse.' Ashley teased. Vanessa poked her tongue out at her friend.

'Whatever!' they turned around to say something else to Joseph and realized he had gone. However, when they turned back to Emily, they realized Joseph hadn't gone; he was on the couch making out with Emily.

'Wow, ok. There's something I hadn't predicted.' Vanessa muttered as they walked away.

'Where are the boys?' Ashley asked. 'I've barely seen Lucas all night.'

'That's a very good point; I haven't seen Zac since we walked in the door. He could've left and I wouldn't have even noticed.' Vanessa sounded slightly guilty.

'Don't feel bad. We'll go find….' Ashley trailed off, her eyes fixed on a point across the room. Vanessa turned to look at what was so fascinating and saw exactly what Ashley was seeing. Lisa was standing in a corner of the room with Zac, one hand on his arm intimately, and standing very close to him. Ashley looked across at Vanessa and her eyes widened.

'Nessa, I'm sure its not…' she stopped speaking as Lisa leaned in and kissed Zac. Before Ashley had a chance to react, Vanessa was out the door and running down the hall. Ashley followed her, pausing just long enough to see Zac push Lisa off him, anger etched on his face. She grinned and ran after Vanessa. It definitely wasn't what it looked like. She finally caught up with Vanessa at the elevator.

'Nessa, she was kissing him, he wasn't kissing her.'

'When someone kisses you and you don't want it, you push them away. I didn't see him pushing her away.' Vanessa held a shaking hand up to her head.

'That's because you ran before you had a chance to see it. He pushed her away, Ness, I saw him.'

'Don't lie to me to make me feel better, Ashley. He kissed her…' Vanessa had her hands pressed over her eyes and before Ashley knew what was happening, Vanessa was in a crumpled heap on the floor. Ashley's eyes widened frantically and she dropped to the floor beside Vanessa.

'Nessa?' she didn't get a response. 'How am I supposed to get help? I can't leave her.' she muttered to herself. So instead, she screamed. Loudly. All at once, about 20 people cam running out of Joseph's suite and down the hall. The fist one to reach her was Lucas. Not too far behind him was Zac. He picked Vanessa up and got onto the elevator. Ashley, Monique, Corbin and Lucas followed, while everyone else stood in shock in the hallway. When the elevator reached their floor, Zac opened their door and went into the suite, placing Vanessa on the bed. Only 5 minutes later, she woke up. She took one look at Zac and began to scream, thrashing around, kicking and scratching at him, before she passed out again. He stood in shock, unable to do anything, let alone comprehend what had just happened.

'She saw Lisa kiss you.' Ashley said softly. Zac's head snapped up to look at her.

'What?'

'She saw it. You and Lisa talking, and then Lisa kissed you. Only, she thinks you kissed Lisa back. She didn't see you push her away.'

'Shit. I can't… I mean she…. But what… she needs to go the hospital.' He said suddenly.

'What?'

'She's bleeding.' He said, pressing his fingers to the cut behind her ear.

'I'll call an ambulance.' Corbin said. He dialed 911 and spoke to the operator and gave them the address. Zac picked up Vanessa and carried her down the hall to the elevator. They waited outside the hotel for a few minutes before the ambulance arrived. Only Zac was allowed to ride in the ambulance, so the others took a cab. When they arrived at the hospital, they waited for 20 minutes before the doctor came out. However, it felt like a lot longer. When the doctor came out of Vanessa's room, they all leaped to their feet expectantly.

'She's going to be fine. She has quite a nasty cut on her head and we had to put stitches in it, but other than that, she's completely fine. We've given her some pretty heavy pain relief, so she's sleeping right now, and we've also prescribed some medication for that nasty migraine. She should be fine in a few days.'

'Thank you.' Zac said, shaking the doctor's hand, before going into Vanessa's room. The others followed. Ashley was still a little shaken up and was clinging tightly to Lucas's hand. They all took seats around the bed and settled in to wait for her to wake up. Several hours later, everyone except Zac was asleep. He was staring intently at Vanessa, still waiting for her eyes to open. Suddenly, they were open and he wasn't aware of seeing them open, all he knew was that she was looking at him and he was looking back at her.

'Hey. How are you feeling?' he asked softly.

'Why do you care? Shouldn't you be off kissing Lisa or something?' Vanessa answered spitefully. Zac's eyes widened.

'I swear, Nessa, I wasn't kissing her. She was kissing me.'

'If that wasn't the oldest excuse in the book, I might actually believe you.'

'Please, Nessa, you have to believe me. It was all her. I would never even look at another girl, you should know that.'

'I thought I did. Until tonight. '

'I don't know what else to say to you. I don't know how to convince you that I'm telling the truth.'

'A liar and a cheater. I guess I'm really getting to know you now.' Vanessa had angry tears in her eyes and Zac's heart broke.

'Nessa… I'm not lying. I would never cheat on you. Why would I want her when I've got you? You're my everything.'

'Yeah… until I get a migraine and we don't have sex for a week, so you go find someone else.'

'Do you seriously think that's what this is about? There's a lot more to our relationship than sex, you know.'

'To me there is. I was never sure about you.'

'I can't believe you're saying this. How could you think that sex is the only thing I care about? Do you even know me at all?'

'Apparently not.' Vanessa looked away and tears began to prick at Zac's eyes. He stood up and ran from the room, slamming the door behind him. The noise woke the others and everyone looked around the room. Ashley's eyes fell on Vanessa, who had tears streaming down her face, while Corbin noticed Zac was gone. He pulled Lucas out of his chair and they left the room to find Zac. Ashley sat on the edge of Vanessa's bed and stared at her sympathetically.

'What just happened?' she asked. Vanessa shrugged.

'We had a fight.'

'About what?'

'Lisa. He tried to tell me it was all her.'

'Nessa, it was. I saw it. They were talking and she deliberately looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then she kissed him. He pushed her away though.'

'I saw it too, Ashley. He did not push her away.'

'Not straight away. He was in shock. His brain was trying to comprehend what was going on. But he did push her away. Just after you ran out of the room.' Ashley was insistent and Vanessa looked at her, knowing Ashley would never lie.

'Are you sure?'

'I'm sure. He loves you more than anything else in the world. He wouldn't cheat on you. Especially not with her.' Ashley said softly. Vanessa's eyes widened.

'How could I be so stupid? What am I going to do now?'

'The boys will get him back here in no time.' Monique said calmly. Within 30 seconds of her saying that, they boys walked in the door. Monique and Ashley grabbed Corbin and Lucas and dragged them back outside. Zac stared at Vanessa.

'I'm sorry.' Vanessa whispered.

'Me too.' Zac replied. He rushed over to the bed and kissed her passionately.

'I promise you, I would never cheat on you.' He said when they separated.

'I know. I just went a little crazy.'

'It's ok. You're sick, so you have an excuse. And I swear, it's never been just about the sex.'

'I know that too. I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry. And I promise, when I'm feeling better, the first thing I'll do is have sex with you.' Vanessa said with a grin. Zac laughed.

'Ok. Now, the doctor said you could leave when you woke up, so we can take you back to the hotel.'

'Good. This bed is horribly uncomfortable.' Vanessa climbed out of bed and Zac steadied her as she swayed slightly on the spot.

'Are you ok?'

'Yeah, I just got up a little too fast. I'm ok.' she took Zac's hand as he led her out of the room to where their friends were waiting.

'We're all good.' Vanessa said with a smile. Ashley hugged her.

'Good. I couldn't handle it if you weren't.'

They went back to the hotel and went straight to bed. Vanessa curled up in a ball, her head on Zac's chest. He smiled down at her. He really did love her more than anything else in the world.

**Well, there you have it. She wasn't pregnant... I would never do that, its just not how I roll. I would never write a pregnancy into this story. So, what did ya think? I might give shout outs again next chapter, if i get good reviews.**

**Em xx**


	18. Dinner and talk

**A/N: So I was going to update last night but I had to babysit, so I'm updating now instead. Shout outs... here we go.**

**Charli - You, my dear are hysterical. That was the longest review EVER and I freaking loved it. It was so funny. I love that you were so determined to read that chapter that you just had to keep reading bits at a time. Silly Brad for interrupting your reading time. lol. I did feel a bit special though... lol. ahhhh wicked sweet ninja's... **

**Dani06 - Your reviews have been great! I'm glad you loved the chapter and all the drama. 2nd shoutout for you! Woo!**

**xCuteyCupcakesx - I'm so glad you liked the drama. I wanna find a guy like Zac too... don't we all? lol.**

**Oh and just before the chapter begins, I should mention that there is a converstaion that takes place during this chapter that is a little more... mature than the rest of the story has been so far. But its nothing bad, so no worries.

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The next day was a day off. They didn't have a show until Friday night, so they had all of Thursday and most of Friday to chill out and relax at the hotel. Vanessa slept through most of Thursday, but the medication the doctor had prescribed was beginning to work and she was feeling better already. Thursday night they all went out for dinner at the hotel restaurant.

'So what did you do all day?' Vanessa asked Ashley when they all met up at the elevator.

'Not much. I saw Em for a bit. I learned something very interesting.'

'Really? What?'

'So you know we saw her making out with Joseph?'

'Yeah…'

'Turns out they're dating. Have been for a week now.'

'WHAT?! How could she not tell us?'

'I know, that's exactly how I reacted. Basically, she just didn't get a chance to tell us. Remember, we've barely seen her since we got here.'

'That's true. Wow, I can't believe that. Is she going to bring him to dinner?'

'I don't know.' Ashley shrugged.

'She should. If she's dating him, he's going to have to become part of our group.'

'Yeah, true. He seems pretty cool; I don't think he'll have any trouble fitting in.'

'I agree. It should be great.'

The pair walked into the restaurant where Zac and Lucas were waiting.

'What took you so long?' Lucas asked, putting his arm around Ashley.

'Jus got caught up talking.' Ashley replied with a grin.

'You are so damn cute.' Lucas muttered as he pressed his lips against Ashley's. Zac and Vanessa grinned at each other.

'And they go nuts over _us _being cute.' Vanessa muttered. Zac laughed.

'I know, right?' he leaned down to kiss her.

'I thought this was dinner, not a makeout party.' Emily approached them, hand in hand with Joseph. The two couples separated and looked up with grins on their faces.

'Hey Em!' Vanessa said, hugging her friend.

'Hey Nessa. How are you feeling?'

'Better. Still not quite myself, but a lot better than I was.'

'Good. I mean, don't forget who your understudy is… it wouldn't be a good thing if you couldn't do the show.' Emily joked. Vanessa's eyes widened.

'Oh my god, I had forgotten.' She turned to Zac. 'Had you remembered?'

'No. it completely slipped my mind that we even had understudies.' He replied. Emily slapped his arm playfully.

'Hey! Hands off my boyfriend!' Vanessa joked. Everyone joined in her laughter as they sat down at their table.

'You're very quiet.' Emily said softly to Joseph as he took his seat next to her. He shrugged and she shook her head. 'I know you don't know them very well, but that's why you're here. These are my friends. Please try to be nice.'

'Sorry. I'll try.' Joseph said softly.

'Ash, I didn't like the way he looked at you.' Lucas whispered. Ashley snorted.

'Don't be so stupid, Luke. You don't have to be so protective of me, you know. I'm a big girl.'

'I'm serious, Ashley. He looked you over, like he was… undressing you with his eyes.' Lucas hissed. Ashley burst out laughing. The other occupants of the table looked at her.

'sorry.' she whispered, a small grin still on her face. Lucas looked hurt. She kissed his cheek lovingly. 'Don't worry; I'm sure it's nothing like that.' She whispered. He nodded and smiled gently at her.

'I can't believe you two go nuts at us about being cute, and then you sit there and be all….. Cute.' Zac finished lamely. Ashley stuck her tongue out at him. He mimicked her to the laughter of the rest of their friends and eventually she gave up, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He grinned at her and snaked an arm around Vanessa's waist, pulling her close to him. The rest of the dinner was filled with conversation and teasing and laughter. Joseph eventually warmed up to the others and began to join in their laughter and teasing. When they all left the restaurant to go back to their rooms, they parted with hugs and more laughter.

'See you tomorrow!' Ashley said as she was hugging Emily and Joseph. Lucas looked on suspiciously as Joseph's hand lingered ever so slightly too close to Ashley's butt. He wasn't sure what it was, but he had bad feelings about Emily's new boyfriend. He muttered this to Zac, who agreed with him.

'I know! I was noticing it all night. He was staring at the girls and only joined in their parts of the conversation, he completely ignored you and me.' he said to his friend. Lucas nodded grimly.

'I have a bad feeling about it, and I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on him.' He said as the girls approached them and they stepped into the elevator. Vanessa wound her arm around Zac's waist.

'What's up?' she asked worriedly. 'You look all cranky.'

'No, not cranky, just a little unsettled.' He replied.

'Why?'

'We'll talk about it later.' He muttered, avoiding her eyes. She looked at him suspiciously and as soon as they were inside their room, she pushed him onto the couch and put her hands on her hips, staring at him.

'So? What's going on?'

'Lucas and I are worried about Joseph. He seems a little… off. There's just something not right about him.' Zac said cautiously, knowing Vanessa may not appreciate him saying such things about her friend's new boyfriend. To his relief, her eyes widened and she dropped down onto the couch next to him.

'Thank god, I thought I was the only one noticing it. He was completely staring at Ash all night.'

'And you.'

'Well I didn't want to sound full of myself but….'

'It's ok. But yes, he was staring at you and Ash all night. And Lucas and I are not comfortable with it.'

'And rightly so. I wouldn't be comfortable if some random girl we'd just met spent hours staring at _you_.'

'Exactly. Well at least you realized what was going on, so if he tries anything, you'll know exactly what to do.'

'Yep. But I wouldn't worry. I'm sure he won't try anything.' Vanessa whispered in Zac's ear, biting it playfully as she finished speaking. He grinned and lunged at her, pinning her underneath him on the couch as he devoured her lips. When they finally separated for air Vanessa grinned.

'What were we talking about?' she asked, feigning confusion. Zac laughed.

'I have no idea.' He replied, leaning in to kiss her again.

The next day Ashley and Lucas appeared in Zac and Vanessa's room and they all watched some movies. Vanessa, under orders from Zac, stayed in bed all day and when the boys went out to get lunch, Ashley took the opportunity to question Vanessa.

'So, how are things going with you and Zac?'

'Good. Why?'

'Well, after the whole thing with Lisa at the party and the obvious lack of trust, I just thought that maybe things were a little awkward.'

'No. there's no lack of trust, I was sick, had a fever, I was delirious, all that stuff, so it was a temporary lack of sanity on my part. We're completely ok. In fact, everything is perfect. More than perfect even. Sometimes I can't believe how much I love him. And it amazes me that it's even possible to miss him when he's only been gone 5 minutes.'

'Wow. I didn't realize you guys were so…. Intense. You know, I feel like we haven't talked in a long time.'

'I know. We've been so busy with our boyfriends that we haven't had time for each other. I'm sorry.'

'It's ok. Now that we know, we'll make time for each other, ok?'

'Ok.' Vanessa grinned and hugged Ashley. Just then, the boys returned.

'Go away, we're talking.' Ashley demanded. Zac looked at Vanessa enquiringly. She nodded.

'We're having Nessa and Ash time.' she said. Zac nodded and smiled gently before turning to leave the room, dragging Lucas along with him.

'See what I mean about intense? I mean, you two just…. You just understand each other. And the amount of love that is between you is a little scary.'

'It is.' Vanessa said softly. 'Sometimes it frightens me how much I love him and how well we know each other. And we haven't even been together a year yet.'

'I know. But nearly though. Isn't your anniversary in a couple of weeks?'

'Yeah.'

'Are you going to do the whole gift thing?'

'No. It's not really "us" if you know what I mean. It's not necessary. But we'll probably go out for dinner or something, and there will definitely be some good sex that night.'

'Nessa!' Ashley exclaimed in surprise.

'What? It's not like you didn't know.' Vanessa shrugged.

'I know, but I'm not used to you talking about it like that.'

'Sorry. I've become a lot more open about it recently.'

'Interesting… you've become very mature and grown up recently.'

'Have I?'

'Yeah, you have.'

'Oh.'

'Oh?'

'Well I don't what else to say to that.'

'Fair enough.' Ashley laughed. 'So the sex is good?'

'Oh yes.' Vanessa grinned. Ashley laughed. 'What about you and Lucas?' Vanessa asked with a grin. Ashley smiled saucily.

'It's good.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah. He's… it's… I don't know. I'm still a little over-awed by the fact that it all fell into place the way it did. I mean, not a single person knew how I felt about him. I had to hide it every day of my life. And then all of a sudden we were dating and it was just… I don't know. It was pretty unbelievable.'

'I can imagine. He takes good care of you though, right?'

'Yeah. He's so sweet. Although I doubt it's even possible that he could take care of me as well as Zac takes care of you.' Ashley said, a smile playing across her lips.

'What do you mean?' Vanessa was confused.

'Are you kidding? He dotes on you. He would do _anything_ for you. I think if Luke tried to take care of me like that, I'd crack it. I need my own independence, you know?'

'Yeah. Zac's just… I was going to say protective, but I'm not sure that's the right word. I don't know. He still lets me have my independence, its not like he makes all my decisions for me or anything. But every time I turn around, he's there. And strangely enough I don't mind.'

'I know. You two have such a different relationship to anything I've ever seen before. It's so intense, but so loving and so understanding. Apart from the fight about the party, have you ever fought?'

'no.' Vanessa said softly.

'I didn't think so. There's something uniquely… special about you two. Like I said, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. But it's amazing. And I think I know why. The happiness you give each other spills over onto other people. You being happy makes other people happy.'

'Thanks Ash.' Vanessa said softly, clearly deep in thought.

'What's up?' Ashley asked, concerned.

'I'm just thinking. I mean, I have never thought this far into our relationship, and I feel bad about that.'

'Don't. If you were constantly analyzing your relationship, it'd fall apart. You have to just let things happen. Let nature run its course. Everything happens for a reason you know.'

'Yeah. Whatever will be, will be.' Vanessa muttered. Ashley grinned at her.

'Exactly.'

Several hours later, Vanessa and Zac were sitting in Vanessa's dressing room at the theatre after she'd just had her hair done. Lisa had been fired and her new hair and makeup artist was Sandra.

'So what were you and Ashley talking about earlier?' Zac asked, pulling Vanessa into his lap.

'You, Lucas, sex, relationships.'

'You talked to her about our sex life?' Zac asked incredulously.

'Barely. We only talked about sex for like, 30 seconds. Mostly we talked about you.'

'Really? What exactly about me did you say?'

'Not much. Ashley shared with me some of her observations about our relationship. We don't exactly have a normal relationship, do we?'

'No we don't. I mean to start with, we were in love before we even started dating. We know everything about each other and more, and we haven't even been together for a full year yet. Not to mention, we spend a lot more time together than most couples who've been dating for a year. We definitely don't have a normal relationship.' Zac pressed his lips to Vanessa's neck, sucking gently on the place where her pulse beat under the skin. She leaned her head ever so slightly to the left before reality hit her and she abruptly pulled away.

'We've got a show in like, an hour and a half, and Gabriella will not look good with a hickey.' She said lightly. Zac grinned and pulled her back to him, burying his face in her hair.

'sorry.' he mumbled. His breath tickled her neck and a shiver ran down her spine.

'How is it that you can still have that effect on me?' she asked in a whisper.

'I don't know. How is it you can have that effect on me?' Zac asked in reply. Vanessa shrugged.

'I guess we're just 2 freaks in a clearly abnormal relationship.' She said with a sigh, leaning back against her boyfriend and resting her head on his shoulder.

'I guess you're right.' He replied, hugging her tighter.

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**So, I dont feel good about that chapter... so you're gonna have to tell me your thoughts... I'm just not sure about it. Ah well, let me know.**


	19. Who did what?

**A/N: Chapter 19...I got 12 reviews for last chapter! Thats 2 more than my usual average, and it was a crappy chapter! Ha ha. Most of you agreed that the chapter was a bit of a filler, and I know it was, but I had to put it in to lead up to this chapter. This chapter has more sex talk in it, but i would never write a sex scene into it, so dont worry about that. Now... Shout outs.**

**xCuteyCupcakesx - I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter even though it was a filler. And I'm glad you enjoyed writing the irl talk, i enjoyed writing. I may put some more in later chapters. And as For Emily's Boyfriend... Well you'll just have to wait and see.**

**Dani206 - Third shoutout in a row! Yay for you! lol. If your mom thought you were on drugs after 2 shoutouts, i'd hate to see what you'll be like after 3! I love that you bribed your sister with chocolate just so you could read my chapter. That makes feel a little bit special. **

**"Charli" - Ha ha... hmmmm anyway, as always, your review was hilarious. Next chapter is in your hands my dear but not until I'm ready for it to be. Even when it is, you better still review! I'd like another funny review for this chapter please, even if your funny bone is broken... FIX IT! ok, I'm kidding, if you don't feel very funny, i completely understand, these things do happen.**

**Ok, on with the chapter...

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The next few weeks passed quickly. They explored the city during the days, showing Emily around, since she had never been there before, and performing most nights. To Zac and Lucas's discomfort, every time they hung out with Emily, Joseph was there too, and it was really starting to get to them.

'I really don't like the way he looks at you and Ash.' Zac said one night as he sat on the couch while Vanessa was in the bathroom.

'I know. But I don't think there's much we can do about it.' She replied as she exited the bathroom and sat Indian style on the bed, staring at Zac. He sighed and looked at the floor.

'He makes me angry, Nessa. I just want to punch him out.'

'I know. You can't though. He's dating one of our friends. And he hasn't actually _done _anything yet.' She said soothingly, still staring at him. He finally looked up at her and a grin crossed his face as he stood up and walked over to her. He placed a hand on either side of her and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers passionately. She leaned into him and he ran his hand up the back of her shirt, fingertips teasing her skin. She abruptly pulled away.

'Well that was random.' She breathed, leaning her forehead against his.

'What?' he asked, staring at her, confused.

'We were talking about Joseph and all of a sudden you're over here making out with me.'

'You were giving me your "I want you" face.'

'I have an "I want you" face?' Vanessa asked incredulously. Zac nodded.

'Oh yeah.'

'Huh. I guess you learn something new everyday. What does it look like? So next time I can not do it.'

'I'm not going to tell you. If you stop making that face, I won't know when is a good time to try for sex.'

'What?!'

'Well, when you make that face, I know that if I try for sex, there's a fairly high chance I'll get it. You also have an "if you try it, I'll shoot you" face, and when you've got that on, I don't even bother trying, no matter how hot you may look.' Zac stated. He knew exactly what he was saying and he knew exactly how she was going to react. He was right. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled gently.

'Now we both know exactly what face I'm making, and why I'm making it.' She whispered as he leaned down and kissed her.

A couple of hours later, Vanessa woke up feeling cold. She rolled over and snorted. Zac had the comforter wrapped around him and she had been left with only a thin sheet. She grabbed at the edge of the comforter and pulled, but Zac wouldn't budge. He was rolled up very tightly. Vanessa groaned and scooted towards Zac, kissing his neck softly. He stirred, and although he wasn't completely awake, lifted up the edge of the comforter and pulled Vanessa towards him, wrapping the blankets around them both. Vanessa grinned.

'I love you.' She whispered as she fell asleep again.

Meanwhile, Ashley had woken up craving a drink. She searched her room, but could only find water and she really wanted a soda. She climbed out of bed and padded out of the room and down the hall to the vending machine next to the elevator. A can of soda fell out and she picked it up, popping it open.

'You're up late.' A voice said, making her jump. She whirled around to see Joseph leaning against the wall, having just walked out of the elevator.

'Hey Joe.' She said, giving him a friendly smile.

'What are you doing up this late?' he persisted.

'I woke up and was craving a soda.' She said with a grin, holding up the soda can. He smiled and stepped towards her.

'I'm really thirsty, do you mind if I have a sip?' he asked. She shook her head and handed him the can. As he took it from her, his fingertips brushed her hand and a creepy shiver ran up her spine. She ignored it. When he passed the can back to her, the same thing happened.

'Well, I'd better get back to bed.' She said with a smiled. Joseph smiled back at her and as she turned to walk away, she could have sworn she felt his hand brush her ass lightly. When she returned to her room, she immediately picked up the phone and called Lucas. He answered the phone groggily.

'I'm so sorry to wake you up, but I was just in the hall getting a soda and… I'm a little creeped out. Can you come stay with me tonight?' she asked frantically. Lucas groaned.

'Ok, I'll be there soon.' He hung up and threw the covers off himself, climbing out of bed. He opened the door and padded down the hall to Ashley's room. He saw Joseph in the hall and looked at him suspiciously.

'Hey man.' Joseph said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Lucas just gave a curt nod, swiped the key card through the door and went into Ashley's room. She was curled up in the bed, her eyes wide and fearful.

'What's up?' he whispered, crawling into bed next to her and pulling her close.

'I was just freaked out.' She whispered back.

'Was it Joseph? What did he do?' Lucas asked sharply. Ashley inhaled quickly and then nodded.

'Yeah it was. I thought he was a nice guy, but he was being really creepy.'

'He's not a nice guy, Ash. There's something sinister about him, and I'm going to find out what it is, I promise you.' Lucas pressed his lips to Ashley's forehead and felt her relax in his arms.

'Thank you.' She whispered as she fell asleep.

The next morning Lucas woke up to find Ashley still sleeping. He climbed carefully out of bed so as not to wake her and went back to his suite to shower and change. When he was done, he made his was over to Zac and Vanessa's suite. The door opened to reveal Vanessa on the couch watching TV and Zac in the kitchen making breakfast.

'Hey man.' Zac said, giving him a grin.

'Hey. So Ash got up late last night to get a soda and Joseph was in the hall and he really freaked her out.' Lucas said softly to Zac. Vanessa was instantly paying attention.

'What did he do to her?' she asked.

'I don't know. She didn't say, but she was really scared.'

'Is she up? I'll go find out what he did.' Vanessa got up off the couch.

'No, don't. She's still asleep. I'm sure she'll come see you when she gets up anyway.'

'Ok.' Vanessa said slowly, sitting down again.

'I'm sure she's ok, Ness. I don't think he actually _did _anything.' Lucas reassured. Vanessa nodded a worried look still on her face. Zac chuckled and sat next to her, handing her a plate of food.

'Don't worry until you have to.' he said softly and Vanessa sighed.

'I know. I can't help it. Do you want some breakfast, Luke? I'm not very hungry.' She said, offering her plate to Lucas. He and Zac looked at her with concern; she was always hungry in the morning. Nevertheless, Lucas took the plate and Vanessa leaned against Zac wearily.

'You're not getting sick again, are you?' he asked worriedly. Vanessa shrugged.

'I don't know.'

'Get back into bed and have a rest. I don't want you getting sick again.'

'Ok.' Vanessa said softly as she climbed back into bed, curling up with her face in Zac's pillow, breathing in his scent. Zac and Lucas looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Zac shrugged and they went back to their breakfast.

A few hours later, after Lucas had left and Zac had cleaned up and then played some X-Box, Vanessa woke up. She sat up slowly, stretching her arms above her head and yawning.

'Hey beautiful. How do you feel?' Zac asked, dropping his X-Box controller and practically running over to where Vanessa was perched on the edge of the bed. She shrugged.

'Fine. How long was I asleep?'

'Nearly 3 hours.'

'Wow. Has Ash been in yet?'

'No. Lucas left to see if she was up and that was like, 2 hours ago.'

'Oh. I should go find her. Make sure she's ok.' Vanessa stood up and swayed slightly.

'Are you sure you're ok?'

'Yeah. I stood up too fast.'

'That's what you said last time.'

'I know, but seriously, I did just stand up too fast, I'm fine now.'

'Ok, if you say so. But if you start to get sick again, will you please tell me this time?' Zac pleaded. Vanessa laughed.

'I will, I promise.' She said as she kissed him and left the room in search of Ashley. She knocked on Ashley's door and entered slowly upon hearing a muffled "come in".

'Hey. Are you ok?' she asked, seeing Ashley still buried deep in her bed.

'Yeah.' Ashley replied.

'No you're not, don't lie to me. What happened?' Vanessa asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. Ashley sat up slowly.

'Did Lucas say something to you?'

'Not really. He said something happened last night and you were freaked out.'

'Yeah, I was.' Ashley said, almost as if she'd just remembered. 'It was Joseph. I went to get a soda from the vending machine and he was in the hall. He touched my hand, and then I swear, when I was walking away, I swear he touched my butt. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was just creepy.'

'What?! Did you tell Lucas?'

'No. he'd only freak out.'

'You should have told him. He was worried about you.'

'I know. But I didn't want him doing anything stupid.'

'I know. I worry about the same thing with Zac. Are you ok though?'

'Yeah I'm fine. I've just realized that I was wrong about him. I thought he was a nice guy. Apparently not.' Ashley said, chewing on her fingernail.

'Definitely not. Zac and Lucas noticed that a few weeks ago.'

'Really? Why didn't they say anything?'

'Well Zac told me, I just assumed Lucas told you. Apparently not.'

'Definitely not. I think I should ask him about that.'

'Don't get in a fight about it.' Vanessa warned.

'I won't.'

'Good. So you're really ok?'

'Yeah, I'm ok.'

'Good. Well I'd better get back to Zac; he doesn't quite know what to do with himself when he's left in the suite alone.' Vanessa joked. Ashley grinned.

'I'll see you later, Ness.' She called as the door closed. Vanessa went back to her suite, her mind at ease now that she knew Ashley was ok.

'Hey honey.' Zac said with a grin when she walked in the door. Vanessa winced.

'Please don't call me that, it makes me feel like we're about 90 years old.'

'Sorry. How's Ash?'

'She's fine. He didn't do anything bad, just creeped her out a little. Enough for her to realize he's not the nice guy she thought he was.'

'Good. I know Lucas was worried about having that conversation with her.'

'Well now he should be more worried. She knows that he didn't tell her what he knew about Joseph.'

'Shit. Is she mad?'

'Not mad, but she's not happy. That's going to be an interesting conversation.'

'He had a good reason for not telling her though.' Zac said as he pulled Vanessa onto his lap.

'I know, and once he explains that to her, I'm sure it'll be fine.' Vanessa's head dropped to the side as Zac suckled and kissed at her neck. She sighed.

'What's up? You've been off all day. And you can't be worried about Ash, cause we know now that she's fine.' Zac held Vanessa tighter around the waist, his chin resting on her shoulder.

'I'm sorry. You're right; I have been off all day. And I can't explain it. I just don't feel right.'

'Are you sure you're not sick again?'

'I don't think so. I feel ok. I just… urgh, I don't know.' Vanessa was surprised to feel hot tears pricking at her eyes and as Zac buried his face in her shoulder, they spilled over. She sniffled slightly and Zac looked up immediately.

'Are you crying?' he asked. She nodded. He grabbed her waist and turned her to face him, seeing the tears running down her cheeks. 'What's wrong? What happened?' Zac asked, brushing tears away gently. Vanessa shrugged, taking deep breaths to try and stop the tears. It didn't work.

'I don't know.' she said, her voice shaking. Zac pulled her close and let her cry into his shoulder, stroking her hair and placing the occasional kiss on top of her head. When she finally stopped crying she took a deep breath and relaxed into Zac's embrace.

'Do you want to talk about it?' Zac asked. Vanessa's tear stained face turned to look up at him.

'Zac, I …'

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**Suspense much? Next chapter won't be up for a least a week and a half, possibly 2 weeks. I'm sorry, but I can't help that, its just the way it is. Oh, i just realised that I shouldn't leave you in suspense like that for 2 weeks... ok, maybe it will go up next week. We'll see. Anyway, please review, cause we all know i love it when I get reviews!**

**Em xx**


	20. Too much love?

**_This is the lovely Miss Em's past-life-sister and chapter-posting-secretary, signing in for duty! This site is blocked for her while she's at college so I am going to post her chapters as she emails them to me, so you all don't have to wait till mid-year break for more of her awesome story!!!_**

**A/N: Chapter ****20, woo! Ok, I'm sorry you all had to ****wait so long for that chapter, but I was on a cro****s****s country road trip, driving through 4 states to get back to uni. Thank you all for being so patient, not that you really had a choice with that horrible cliffy I left you with… ok enough out of me, ****here's**** the chapter. Thanks to Dani06, ****kilikiwi, ****xCuteyCupcakesx, for your awesome reviews.**

**And thanks to my past**** life sister, my chapter–posting–secretary. Without you… well the story would have finished here. Everyone…. Say thanks to my secretary!!! (Yeah, I'm keeping her nameless for the moment; I don't want anyone to steal her…. I refuse to give you a pay rise!)**

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_Recap_

_'__Do__ you want to talk about it?' Zac asked. Vanessa's tear stained face turned to look up at him._

_'Zac, I …'_

'Zac, I … I still feel horrible. I'm still taking the medication that the doctor gave me, but I'm not getting better. I don't know what's going on. I don't understand.' Vanessa said softly, her eyes filling with tears again.

'Shhh baby its ok. It's just going to take a little while.' Zac held her close, her head on his chest as tears fell slowly from her eyes. They sat in silence for a while, until Zac chanced a look at the clock and yelped.

'Nessa, we've got to be at the bus in like, 5 minutes!'

'What?' Vanessa looked up at the clock and jumped off Zac's lap, grabbing her bag and congratulating herself for packing it the night before. They ran downstairs, not trusting the elevator to get them to the lobby fast enough and ran onto the bus, the last ones there. They collapsed into their usual seat, ignoring the stifled giggles coming from Ashley.

'What happened to you two?' Corbin asked.

'Lost track of time.' Zac replied, looking across at Vanessa. She smiled at him and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 'You ok?' he asked softly. She nodded and flashed him another smile. He grinned back and put his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Lately, he just couldn't be close enough to her. His mind wandered and before he knew it, they were at the theatre. He followed Vanessa inside, their hands linked, his mind still elsewhere. He followed her into her dressing room and dropped down onto the couch.

'Ok, now you're the one acting weird. What's up?' Vanessa asked, sitting next to him.

'I don't know yet. I've been trying to work it out ever since we got in the bus. I just need to think about a little more.' He said vaguely. Vanessa looked at him curiously.

'Anything I can help with?' she asked. He shook his head.

'Nah, I'll work it out. No need to worry your pretty little head about it.' He grinned, kissing her gently. Just then, Sandra appeared with a grin.

'Hey guys! How are you today?'

'We're good, Sandra, how are you?'

'Oh, you know. Same as always.' She replied with a grin. Vanessa got up off the couch and took her seat at the counter so Sandra could begin her hair. Zac kissed her briefly and went back to his room to get ready.

'Your boy seems very quiet today.' Sandra remarked.

'I know. He won't tell me what's wrong.' Vanessa sighed.

'Maybe he's thinking about your anniversary. It's in a few days, right?'

'Yeah. But I don't think that's what he's thinking about. I don't know what's going on with him.'

'Did you ask him?'

'Yeah. He said he hadn't quite worked it out yet and he just needed to think about it some more. He was really vague.'

'Honey, he's just being a male. Let him work out what's going on and I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready.'

'Yeah, I know.' Vanessa said reluctantly.

Hours later, when the show was over and they were all on the bus heading back to the hotel, Vanessa fell asleep. When they reached the hotel, Zac carried her into their room and placed her in the bed before heading out to watch a movie with Lucas and Corbin.

'So, Ash said that you'd been acting weird today. Can't say I'd noticed, but I figured I'd ask you about it anyway.' Lucas said after a few minutes. Zac sighed.

'She's right. I was acting weird today.'

'Well what's up?'

'It's Nessa.'

'What about her? Is she sick again?'

'Well, she's still feeling a little crappy, but that's not it. Its just… and Corbin don't you dare call me a woman, but I'm just beginning to wonder if its possible to love someone too much.' Zac said carefully. Corbin's eyes widened and a grin appeared on his face, but he didn't say anything.

'How do you mean?' Lucas asked.

'Lately I've been a lot more worried about her, and wanting to keep her in my sight at all times. Today she went to see Ash and I spent the whole time wondering if she was ok and when she was going to be back.'

'Dude, that's normal.'

'No, I don't think it is. I think I worry about her too much. I keep thinking that eventually I'll push her away and she'll hate me.'

'Never going to happen. She loves you, man. She wants you to be all protective and stuff.' Corbin said seriously.

'Did you talk to her about it?' Lucas asked.

'No. I wasn't really sure what it meant, so I didn't want to talk to her until I was sure.'

'Well you need to talk to her about it. Otherwise she will hate you for not being honest with her. Ok?'

'Ok. Thanks guys.' Zac grinned and left the room. As he closed the door to his room behind him, it clicked and he saw Vanessa stir in bed.

'Zachary?'

'Yeah baby, it's me. I'm sorry I woke you.'

'Its ok.' she muttered sleepily. 'How did I get into my pajamas?' she wondered out loud.

'I dressed you.' Zac said softly.

'Oh. Thank you. Are you coming to bed?'

'Absolutely.' Zac undressed and climbed into bed, wrapping an arm around Vanessa and pulling her close.

'I love you.' She said softly.

'I love you too.' Zac replied, his mind contemplating the meaning of the words.

The next day, when they all arrived at the theatre, Vanessa dragged Zac into her dressing room and closed the door.

'What is going on with you? You've been weird for days.' she asked, hands on her hips, eyes on fire. She was angry, and for good reason.

'I'm sorry.' Zac said feebly.

'Well I can't accept that until you tell me what you're sorry for. What in the hell is going on?'

'Ok. Look. Do you think it's possible to love someone too much?' Zac asked.

'What sort of question is that?!'

'Please calm down. I can't talk to you about this unless you calm down.'

'Ok, I'm calm.'

'Good. The thing is, lately I've been worrying about you, more than usual. I think too much. And I just wonder whether it is possible that I love you too much.'

'What? You're not making any sense. Isn't it normal for you to worry about me?'

'Yeah, but I think I worry too much, that's all. I don't want to become the over-protective boyfriend whose girlfriend hates him for being too clingy.'

'Baby, you're not too clingy. And you're not over protective. What's got you thinking all this?'

'I don't know. I guess the whole thing with Joseph and Ashley freaked me out and then you weren't feeling well and it worried me. Then I started questioning the worry.'

'Don't. You don't need to. If you're ever being too… anything, I'll tell you. I promise.'

'Thank you.' Zac said softly as he pulled Vanessa into a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing in his scent. Zac did the same, breathing in the sweet smell of Vanessa as he held onto her, suddenly feeling so much calmer and having trouble remembering exactly what they'd even been talking about.

'Are you ok?' Vanessa asked softly. Zac muttered a yes as Vanessa pulled away and kissed him gently. 'I love you. And you can talk to me about anything. Please don't give me a reason to get that mad again.'

'I won't, I promise. I love you and I'm sorry.' He kissed her and then sat on the couch, pulling her onto his lap. She shifted slightly so she could rest her head on his chest.

'I'm so tired Zachary. I want a whole day off.' She said wearily.

'Me too. Do we have one coming up?'

'I don't know. I haven't looked at the calendar in a while. I figure if one's coming up, we'll know about it.'

'True point. Hey, Sandra's running a little late. She's usually here by now, isn't she?'

'Yeah. I'm sure she'll be here soon. And if she's not, Linda knows how to do my hair, so it'll be fine.' Vanessa snuggled closer into Zac and he hugged her tighter. She was so comfortable and so sleepy, her eyelids started to droop. Just as her eyes closed and she slipped into sleep, the door flew open and Sandra ran in.

'I'm so sorry I'm late, come on, we'd better get to work otherwise you'll never be ready on time.' she said frantically. Vanessa's eyes opened and she groaned, getting up off Zac's lap and sitting in her chair. Zac squeezed her hand and then went out to his own dressing room to get ready.

Vanessa practically sleepwalked through the show, her energy level no where near what it usually was, causing Zac to shoot her concerned looks every few minutes. When they all climbed onto the bus after the show, Vanessa was last, collapsing into her seat, her head immediately dropping onto Zac's shoulder.

'hey.' he whispered. She looked up at him with a small smile. 'I've got a surprise for you. We get a day off tomorrow. A whole day. No night show or anything.' He said softly. Her smile widened and her head fell back onto his shoulder as her hand found his and their fingers curled together. She closed her eyes, knowing that if she fell asleep, Zac would take her to their room. Unfortunately, everyone was so excited about their day off and was talking about how they were going to spend the day, so she couldn't get to sleep. When they arrived at the hotel, she walked slowly up to her room and got ready for bed immediately. She sat down on the couch for a moment, her head propped up by her hand, her elbow resting on the arm of the couch. Zac exited the bathroom and looked at her, smiling slightly.

'How you doing?' he asked softly. She shrugged.

'I can't get up. I sat down and I don't have the energy to get back up.' She replied. Zac grinned and grabbed her hands, pulling her up off the couch. He easily swung her up so he was carrying her bridal style.

'Come on princess, let's get you to bed.' He said, placing her gently onto the bed. She immediately curled up on her side, her face buried in Zac's pillow. She breathed in his scent and almost immediately felt herself being pulled into the land of sleep. Zac watched her sleep for a while, curled up on his side of the bed. He grinned as he climbed into bed next to her. It felt weird to be sleeping on the other side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and started slightly as his hand touched bare skin. He could've sworn she had a top on. He lifted the blanket slightly to see that her top had risen and her stomach was bare. He dropped the blanket, running his fingertips lightly across her skin. She twitched slightly and her stomach muscles tensed. He grinned, continuing to run his fingers across her skin. She shivered and he knew she was awake. His fingers kept moving as he pressed gentle kisses on the back of her neck. She squirmed slightly and Zac's grin grew wider as his fingers crept up her top. Just as his hand reached its target, Vanessa rolled over and pressed her lips hard against his. He deepened the kiss and she moaned into his mouth, running her hands over his chest and stomach. He rolled over so he was on top of her, their bodies pressed together, their tongues dancing inside each others mouths. That is, until Vanessa pulled away.

'I can't, Zac, I'm sorry. I'm just too tired. And I know you would be highly offended if I fell asleep.'

'Well you've got a point there.'

'Please, just let me sleep.'

'Ok. I'm sorry baby.'

'It's ok. Goodnight. I love you.'

'I love you too, Nessa.'

The next day was their anniversary. Vanessa slept late and awoke to the smell of something cooking.

'Zac?' she called, unable to see him. He emerged from the bathroom and grinned at her.

'Happy anniversary.' He said with a laugh. Vanessa grinned.

'You too.'

'How perfect is it that we get tonight off?'

'So perfect. Where are we going?'

'Some restaurant. I forgot what it's called, but I know where it is. Its walking distance from here.'

'You're hopeless.' Vanessa laughed. Zac sat next to her on the bed and kissed her passionately.

'I dreamt about you all night.' Zac whispered softly between kisses. Vanessa pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him, her mouth attacking his. His hands ran up and down her sides as they kissed, sending shivers through her. She moved her hands to the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head, following quickly by removing her own shirt. Zac rolled so he was on top of her and her fingernails dug into his back as they continued to make out. That is until Vanessa's phone rang.

'Ignore it.' Zac whispered. Vanessa sat up and shook her head.

'I can't. It could be my mom.' She said as she grabbed the phone and answered it quickly.

'Hello? Hey Stel!' she said cheerfully, shooting an apologetic glance at Zac. He sighed and reached for his shirt, she was going to be on the phone for a long time. To his surprise, she put her hand out and stopped him getting dressed.

'I want to look at you.' She whispered softly and a grin crossed Zac's face. He lay down on the bed, pulling her down to lie next to him as she talked to her sister. She placed her head on his chest and he wrapped and arm around her, kissing the top of her head gently. Suddenly, he didn't care that they'd been interrupted, he was just happy being close to her.

'How are you?' Vanessa asked her sister.

'I'm good. What are you doing right now?'

'Not much. Its mine and Zac's anniversary today.'

'Really? Were you having sex?'

'Stella!'

'What?!'

'Don't say things like that.'

'Why not? I know you do.'

'Yeah, but you shouldn't be talking about that stuff.'

'Ok, I won't. So, did he buy you a present?'

'nah. We're going out for dinner later.'

'Don't you have to work tonight?'

'No we have a night off. So we're going out for dinner.'

'I can't believe he didn't even buy you a present!' Stella exclaimed. Vanessa laughed.

'Its ok Stel, it was a mutual decision.'

'Oh. Is he there right now?'

'Yeah. Do you want to talk to him?'

'Yes please.'

'She wants to talk to you.' Vanessa said, handing the phone to Zac.

'Hey kid, what's up?' Zac said with a grin. Vanessa curled up with her head on Zac's bare chest, occasionally placing a soft kiss on his skin. When she began to trace patterns on his chest lightly with her finger, it became too much for him.

'Stella, I have to hang up now and get your sister under control.' He said with a lustful look at Vanessa. He hung up the phone and rolled over, pinning her beneath him as he devoured her lips.

'You just hung up on my sister.' Vanessa said.

'She'll get over it.' Zac replied, kissing Vanessa's neck. Just then there was a knock at the door. Zac groaned.

'Are you kidding me? Are we ever going to get to finish this?'

'Oh shush. Come in!' Vanessa called. The door swung open and Ashley entered the room, throwing herself on the couch, glancing quickly at the couple.

'Put your shirts back on.' She said disinterestedly.

'It's our anniversary, Ashley, what are you doing here?' Zac asked through gritted teeth, refusing to get dressed, as Vanessa pulled her shirt over her head.

'Get over it; you'll have plenty of time for that later.' Ashley replied. Vanessa laughed, but shut up at the look Zac gave her. She smiled at him sympathetically.

'Babe, go hang out with Lucas and Corbin for a while. Do whatever it is you guys do. We'll have plenty of time alone later.' She said softly. Zac kissed her and left the room, looking grumpy. Vanessa giggled and threw herself onto the couch next to Ashley.

'I love how cranky he gets when I interrupt you two.' Ashley said with a laugh. Vanessa grinned.

'I know. You're the second interruption. Stella called earlier. She asked me if she'd interrupted me and Zac having sex.'

'What?! She's 12!'

'I know. I told her not to talk about it ever again.'

'How does she even know you two are having sex?'

'She heard mom talking to me about it once. And she's just started sex ed at school, so she probably could have worked it out on her own anyway.'

'Geez. I'm disturbed to think that she even knows what sex is. She's only a kid.'

'I know. She's nearly a teenager though. And _that_ scares me.'

'I know, right? Gosh, I imagine this is what Jen felt like when I became a teenager.'

'Pfft, that was like, 30 years ago, so not relevant.' Vanessa joked. Ashley shoved her off the couch and she hit the ground with a bump. Both girls began to laugh hysterically.

'Are you ok?' Ashley managed to ask.

'I think you bruised my butt!' Vanessa replied through squeals of laughter. Ashley was laughing so hard that she too fell off the couch. Both girls were rolling around the floor in fits of hysterical laughter. Suddenly the door burst open and Zac, Lucas and Corbin ran into the room and stopped dead at the sight of the girls on the floor.

'What the?' Corbin asked. Ashley and Vanessa looked up, looked back at each other and started to laugh again.

'What the heck is going on? We heard screaming, we thought one of you or possibly both of you were being attacked!' Zac exclaimed. Vanessa and Ashley were still rolling around the floor in hysterics. Lucas walked over to them and picked Ashley up off the floor. Her laughter began to die down.

'sorry.' she giggled, still not quite completely calm.

'What is so funny?' he asked, a little annoyed.

'Not much. We just had a little Ash and Nessa moment. And it was really funny.' She shrugged, still with a huge grin on her face.

'Ash, this isn't funny. We thought that… someone… had got in here.'

'What? What do you mean? Someone? Who?'

'No-one, it doesn't matter. We thought you were in danger, and you're laughing about it.'

'I didn't ask you to come bursting in here like that. I can't even laugh with my best friend now?!'

'Ash, I thought you were in danger.'

'Well I wasn't. I'm fine. And I will continue to be fine.' She said stalking out of the room. A few seconds later, they heard her door slam. Vanessa's face was now very serious. Lucas looked around at them all and then left the room as well.

'I'm sorry if I scared you.' Vanessa whispered to Zac.

'It's ok. We just thought… you know… Joseph…'

'I know. I'm sorry. We didn't realize how loud we were I guess. Do you think they'll be ok?' she asked, gesturing towards the open door through which their friends had recently departed.

'I hope so.'

'Ash is a lot more… independent than I am. She doesn't like Lucas to be protective of her like you are with me.'

'What? I'm not protective!' Zac exclaimed. Vanessa just looked at him. 'Ok, I am. But you're right. Ash is not going to forgive him easily, is she?'

'No she's not. Wow. What a thing to happen. Today of all days.'

'I know. You should probably go talk to her. We'll still go out later, but she needs you right now.'

'I love you.'

'I know. Just go. Your best friend needs you.' Zac replied with a loving smile, pushing Vanessa gently in the direction of the door. She ran out of the room and straight into Ashley's room without even knocking.

'Oh my god!' Zac heard Vanessa yell from Ashley's room. Approximately three seconds later, she was back on the couch next to him, her hands pressed over her eyes.

'So I guess they made up already.' He stated.

'You could say that. Either that or they're having really angry sex.'

'Oh ew.'

'Really? Ya think?! You're not the one who had to see it!' Vanessa said shrilly.

'I'm sorry you had to see that. Wanna get them back?'

'No! Having had to witness that, I don't _ever_ want anyone walking in on us.'

'Ok. Hey, do you want to watch a movie?'

'Yes please. Something G rated. I don't want to be reminded of what I just saw.' Vanessa said with a shudder. Zac chuckled and put The Lion King on. Vanessa grinned and snuggled into his side.

Hours later as they lay in bed, after dinner and sex, Vanessa grinned.

'This was a perfect anniversary.' She said softly.

'But we didn't do anything particularly special.' Zac replied, confused.

'I know. That's why it was perfect. It was just us being us. Just being together.'

'You know, you're right. I love you.'

'I know.' Vanessa said, echoing Zac's words from earlier that day. 'I love you too.'

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**Awwww…. Cute. Well that was quite a long cha****pter… I hope you all enjoyed it, and I hope it made up for the fact that I couldn't update in so long! Review! **

**_Naaaaw so wasn't that a great chapter! Like Em said - review!!!_**


	21. Wicked sweet skills

**A/N: Chapter 21. As always, my favorite readers gave fabulous reviews. Dani06 and xCuteyCupcakesx. And hello to my new reader AniimeChiick! Glad you're enjoying it so far! **

**So, my fabulous secretary lost her job… since I now have access to fanfiction again. She was devastated, but its ok, she'll get over it. I was so excited when I found out I could access this again. So thanks, Kylie for being my secretary! Woo! Well… on with the story!

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The next day they had to perform during the day, one of their rare matinee performances. They all filed off the bus and into the theatre at 8.30, for the show to start at 11. Vanessa was in the middle of having her hair done when Ashley walked into her dressing room.

'How is it that your hair is already done and mine's only half done?' Vanessa asked incredulously. Ashley shrugged.

'Just lucky, I guess. So how was last night?' she asked. Vanessa grinned.

'It was great. The whole day was great. Apart from the traumatizing experience involving you.'

'Hey, that was so not my fault! And it was no picnic for me either.' Ashley said.

'I thought you were distraught! I was coming to comfort you!'

'Well that's sweet. Next time… just knock, before you come bursting in.'

'Ok, ok.' Vanessa said.

'You know…' Ashley trailed off. Vanessa looked at her. Ashley had a look on her face that said she wanted to say something else, but wasn't going to while Sandra was in the room.

'Hey, later on, we'll have Ash and Nessa time, k?' Vanessa said. Ashley grinned and nodded.

'Excellent. Ok, I'm gonna go annoy Corbin for a while. Tease him about his supposed "wicked sweet ninja skills". I'll see you later.' She left the room.

20 minutes later, Vanessa walked into the green room and saw Corbin raiding the cupboards. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and flopped down on the couch.

'Where's everyone else?' she asked. Corbin shrugged.

'I don't know, I haven't seen anyone. Wait what are you doing here, you're usually the last one to be ready.'

'I don't know. I'm ready early today. You haven't seen Ash?'

'No, why?'

'She was in my room earlier and she said she was going to come annoy you for a while. She was going to tease you about your wicked sweet skills.'

'Oh. Well she didn't. And I don't know why she'd wanna tease me. We all know that my wicked sweet ninja skills are totally real. Hey man.' Corbin said as Zac came into the room.

'Hey. And I heard that. You do not have wicked sweet skills.' Zac said as he sat next to Vanessa, slinging an arm around her shoulders as he grabbed her water bottle and took a swig.

'Where's everyone else?' he asked.

'We were just discussing that.'

'Well Lucas is usually the first one here, and he's not, so he's probably off with Ash somewhere…' Corbin trailed off as Vanessa choked on her water and turned red.

'Are you ok?' Zac asked, patting her on the back. She nodded.

'What was that about?' Corbin asked suspiciously. Vanessa blushed and looked away.

'Nessa walked in on Ash and Lucas yesterday.' Zac said. Vanessa's eyes widened and she hit him.

'What do you mean walked in…? Oh.' a grin appeared on Corbin's face. 'That's funny.'

'It is not.' Lucas said from the doorway.

'I think I'm scared for life.' Vanessa agreed.

'I still think it's funny.'

'It's not funny. It was a traumatizing experience for everyone involved and it should never be spoken about again.'

'What are we talking about?' Ashley asked as she came into the room.

'Ness walking in on you on Luke.' Corbin replied quickly.

'Oh… ' Ashley said.

'But we've just agreed to never talk about it again.' Lucas added.

'Good.' The room fell silent.

'You lot are quiet.' Monique said as she came in.

'I silenced them with my wicked sweet ninja skills.' Corbin piped up. Everyone groaned.

'Must we start talking about this again?' Zac asked.

'Yes. It is time that you all recognized the fact that I do in fact have wicked sweet ninja skills and that in turn makes me wicked sweet in general.'

'You don't have wicked sweet ninja skills, Corbin.' Zac said, deadpan.

'I do! You admitted it last week!'

'When did I admit it?' Zac asked.

'Last week! I was talking about my wicked sweet ninja skills and you said "yeah ok Corbin, you have ninja skills." You said it.'

'I don't remember that. Does anyone else remember that?' Zac asked. Everyone else shook their heads. 'See Corbin, you're imagining things.'

'I'm not! I do so have wicked sweet ninja skills!' Corbin said, stamping his foot like a small child.

'Why are you lot still talking about this?' Kenny asked from the doorway. 'You've been having this discussion for months! Just agree with him so he shuts up. But right now, you all need to be on stage for warm up.' Kenny walked away.

'See? Kenny knows I have wicked sweet skills.'

'No he doesn't. He just doesn't want to listen to you talking about it anymore!' Zac said as he took Vanessa's hand and they headed to the stage for warm up. Corbin sulked all through interval and through most of the first act. It came to interval and everyone was sitting in the green room again. Corbin was still sulking.

'I do so have wicked sweet ninja skills.' He kept muttering under his breath. Everyone else was ignoring him. Until he finally exploded.

'Why can't you just admit it?!' he yelled.

'Corbin, honey, we're not going to lie to you, just to make you stop talking about it. And to be honest with you, the only wicked sweet skills you have are performance skills.' Monique said gently. Corbin pouted. Then his face lit up.

'What about wicked sweet Jedi skills?'

'No!' everyone chorused.

'Wicked sweet magic skills?'

'No, no and for the last time, no!'

Just then they were all called back to stage. Corbin sighed heavily as he stood up and left the room. The others all just looked at each other.

'Maybe we should just agree with him, to make him feel better.' Vanessa said softly to Zac.

'It'll only make it worse.'

When the show was finished, they had a few hours break before the night show. Everyone opted to go out and hang out at the café across the street, but Vanessa and Ashley decided to stay at the theatre and talk.

'So you never finished telling me about last night.' Ashley said, sitting on the bench in her dressing room while Vanessa sat indian style on the couch.

'It was amazing. We went out for a gorgeous dinner at this cute little restaurant. It was fun to just be ourselves for a while. And then we went back to our suite and had amazing sex.'

'Really? How amazing?'

'Amazing amazing.'

'Good. You guys deserved a fantastic anniversary.'

'So, you were going to say something earlier, but you didn't cause Sandra was there. What was that about?' Vanessa asked. Ashley laughed.

'Oh that. I was just going to say that Lucas was so embarrassed after you walked in, that he couldn't finish. He was all "like I can keep going after that." And then he left. I was just laughing at him.'

'Oh my god. I'm so going to tease him about that.'

'No, don't. He's a little sensitive about me talking about our sex life.' Ashley said with a wince. Vanessa laughed.

'Zac's the same. He keeps asking me if it's really necessary for me to tell you stuff like that.'

'It's just what we do.'

'I know. He'll get over it.' Vanessa shrugged.

'Sooo…. I haven't seen Joseph around much lately. Or Em. What's going on with that?'

'I don't know. I saw them both wandering around backstage this morning, but I didn't speak to either of them, and they didn't speak to me.'

'And Em didn't do her usual pre-show dressing room visit like normal. I hadn't realized until just then, but now that I think of it, that's a little weird, isn't it?'

'Yeah it is.' Vanessa said thoughtfully.

'Maybe tomorrow we should go visit her room. We haven't seen her in a while.'

'Yeah. It'd be good to see her. I hope Joseph won't be there though.'

'Me too.' Ashley said with a shudder. Just then they heard voices in the corridor.

'I do so have wicked sweet ninja skills! I don't care what you say.'

'Oh my god, he's still talking about it.' Ashley groaned. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

'CORBIN! YOU DO NOT HAVE WICKED SWEET SKILLS!' She yelled.

'I DO TOO!' Corbin yelled back as Ashley and Vanessa came out into the corridor.

'You weren't gone long.' Vanessa said as she slipped her arm around Zac.

'Yeah, well Corbin got us kicked out.' Zac replied darkly. Vanessa giggled but then fell silent at the look on Zac's face. Corbin was still ranting about his wicked sweet ninja, magic and Jedi skills.

'I just thought of something. What if I totally used my Jedi mind powers to make you believe I have wicked sweet skills. Then you couldn't possibly deny it.'

'No Corbin.' Ashley said with a roll of her eyes.

'Why not? I could totally be Luke Skywalker. In fact, once you saw my wicked sweet magic skills, you'd probably all think I was Harry potter.'

'No we wouldn't.'

'Yes you would.'

'no we wouldn't.' the argument went on as Zac gently pulled on Vanessa hand and took her into his dressing room, closing the door behind them.

'You know what they're going to think when they realize we're not there.' Vanessa said with a smirk. Zac grinned.

'I don't care.' he said as he sat on the couch, pulling her onto his lap. She curled into him and put her head on his shoulder, with her face pressed into his neck.

'Are you ok?' he asked. She nodded.

'Just tired.' She said softly. Zac nodded. They sat in silence for a while, listening to their friends arguing in the corridor. Then someone banged on the door. Zac sighed as Vanessa climbed off his lap and opened the door. Corbin was standing there with a big grin on his face, rocking backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet, looking just like a kid at Christmas.

'What?' Zac asked irritably.

'Lucas just admitted it. So now you have to admit it too.' Corbin beamed. Zac looked at Vanessa, who shrugged. Zac looked out into the corridor at Lucas, who also shrugged. Zac sighed.

'Ok Corbin, yes, you have wicked sweet ninja skills. And Jedi skills and magic skills. You're like a cross between the ninja turtles, Luke Skywalker and Harry Potter.' Zac said in a monotone. Corbin jumped into the air with a grin.

'Yes! I have wicked sweet skills! You all admitted it!' He began to laugh maniacally, so Zac closed the dressing room door again, pulling Vanessa into his arms.

'See, I told you admitting it would be worse.'

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**Yeah, ok, pointless chapter. But please at least tell me you thought it was funny. It used to be a lot funnier, but I accidentally deleted it so I had to write it again….. devastated much?**


	22. An attack?

**A/N: Ok, I realize its been like, a million years since I updated, and to be honest, I have absolutely no excuse. I just couldn't be bothered. So I'm sorry to everyone. Thank you all for your awesome reviews, especially considering that last chapter was really just a filler. I'd also like to say thanks to Kylie for reminding me that I hadn't updated. So here it is.**

**I have a special shout out for Dani2606. You have been mentioned in the last 4 chapters in my A/N's, and I only got your penname right ONCE! So I'm terribly sorry. I got it right this time though! At least, I hope I did….Your reviews are awesome, I love them. Please, keep them coming!

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The next day, just as they'd discussed, Vanessa and Ashley went to see Emily. They knocked on her door at 10am, hoping she'd be awake. She was. The door swung open and she stared at them for a moment.

'I'm a little busy right now, girls. I'll see you later at the theatre.' She attempted to shut the door.

'Em! We haven't seen you in ages! Don't you at least have a few minutes to hang out with us?'

'No, I don't. In fact, I don't have any time at all for you.'

'What? Em, what's going on?' Vanessa asked, confused.

'I know what you two have been doing. And what you've been saying.'

'What do you mean?' Ashley asked.

'I know what you did to Joseph. And I know what you've been saying about him to your boyfriends.'

'What do you mean, what I did to him? It was him! I didn't do anything!'

'Do you seriously think I'm going to believe that? He told me exactly what happened. So I don't want anything to do with any of you. You disgust me.' Emily slammed the door, leaving Ashley and Vanessa staring in shock.

'What…' Ashley said.

'I have no idea. Come on, we'll go talk to the boys, see if they can make some sense of it.' Vanessa grabbed Ashley's hand and they headed toward the elevator. When they reached their floor, they looked at each other questioningly.

'Whose room?' Ashley asked. Vanessa shrugged.

'Let's try mine first, since it's closest.' She opened the door to her room. No sign of Zac or Lucas.

'Well, Lucas's room then.' Ashley opened the door to Lucas's room. There were Zac, Lucas and Corbin, eating m&m's and watching some TV show about cars. They barely looked up as the girls came in, but when Ashley switched the TV off, then they all looked at her.

'Ash, what the hell?' Lucas asked. Ashley's lip quivered and a look of horror crossed Lucas's face. 'Oh my god, please don't cry.' He said desperately. She lifted her chin defiantly and shook her head.

'We just had a very interesting encounter with Em.' Vanessa spoke up.

'Why?' Corbin asked. Ashley and Vanessa looked at each other. Corbin didn't know anything about what had happened with Joseph. Ashley shrugged. She didn't care if he found out.

'Well, Em seems to think that Ashley made some sort of a move on Joseph and then told everyone that he'd been the one who made the move.'

'What?!' Lucas and Zac exploded simultaneously. Vanessa nodded grimly.

'Yep. He must have told her that.'

'I am gonna kill that guy.' Zac growled, clenching his fists.

'No you're not.' Vanessa soothed, taking a seat on his lap.

'Ash?' Lucas said softly. She looked at him, but didn't move.

'How could he do that?' she asked hollowly.

'He's a creep. Forget about him. He doesn't deserve to be given a second thought.'

'But Em hates me now. And not just me, but all of us. And it's all my fault.'

'It's not your fault.' Vanessa said, getting off Zac and going over to Ashley. 'He's a jerk. And if Em believes him, she's a jerk too.' she turned around and glared at Lucas. He quickly got up and went over to his girlfriend.

'Ash, forget about them. They're not worth it. And we call all see it. Don't blame yourself.' He said, shooting a helpless glance at Vanessa, not knowing if he was saying the right thing or not. Vanessa nodded encouragingly. Ashley looked up through tear filled eyes and pushed past him, running out of the room. Lucas stood still for a moment, not sure what to do until Vanessa hit him over the head.

'Follow her!' she growled. Lucas ran out of the room without a second thought. Vanessa flopped back onto the couch next to Zac shaking her head.

'Please tell me I'm not that hopeless.' Zac said. Vanessa laughed.

'No, no, you're perfect. Luke's just a little clueless. He'll get better.'

'And Ash is the perfect person to teach him.' Corbin interjected. Vanessa grinned.

'She's my best friend and I'm supposed to be loyal to her, so I'm going to pretend you didn't say that.' She paused. 'But it's totally true.' She leaned into Zac and dug her head into his shoulder.

'What's up, babe?'

'I've got a headache.'

'Headache?' Corbin and Zac asked in unison. Vanessa looked up.

'Yes, a headache. But it's not like last time. I'm fine.' She snapped. Corbin threw his hands up in defense. Zac picked Vanessa up of the couch and carried her back to their room, putting her down on the couch.

'Rest.' He commanded.

'Zac, I'm fine.'

'That's what you said last time. Please rest. At least then it doesn't even have a chance to get any worse.'

'Fine.' Vanessa grumbled, looking across the room and crossing her arms across her chest stubbornly.

'Nessa… I'm just looking out for you. Please don't be mad.'

'I'm not mad. Well, not with you.'

'With Em and Joseph?'

'Yeah.' Vanessa sighed. 'How could they do that to Ash?'

'I don't know. I guess Em isn't who we thought she was.'

'I guess not. I hate that we were so wrong about her and now Ash has been hurt because of it.'

'I know, baby. I hate that it's upset you. But you need not to dwell on it. It'll only upset you more.'

'I know. I think I need to have a nap.'

'Ok. I'm gonna go see how Lucas is going with Ashley. I'll see you later.'

'Ok.' Vanessa crawled into bed and curled up in a ball, hugging Zac's pillow. Zac looked back quickly as he reached the door and a small smile appeared in his face as he watched her in bed. He left the room and went back to Lucas's room. The door was open and Ashley and Lucas were curled up on the couch watching TV.

'Hey guys.' Zac said softly. They looked up and smiled.

'Hey.'

'How ya doin, Ash?'

'I'm fine. Lucky I've got such a sweet boyfriend, really.' Ashley grinned and snuggled closer into Lucas. Zac chuckled.

'Good. Nessa was worried about you.'

'I'm fine. Where is she?'

'Sleeping. She has a headache.'

'Is she ok?'

'I hope so. I think she'll feel better after a nap.'

'Ok. So are you gonna come sit down, or what?' Ashley joked. Zac grinned.

'Nah, I just wanted to see if you were ok. I'll just go back and sit with Nessa. I'll see you later.'

'Ok. See you on the bus.' Ashley gave a half hearted wave as Zac left the room. He opened the door of his room and as soon as he stepped inside, he knew something was wrong. Vanessa was still in bed, but there was something off about the room. He looked around suspiciously as he walked over to the bed and knelt down beside it, stroking Vanessa's hair. She was still fast asleep. He heard a noise from the bathroom and sprang up, walking slowly towards it. He opened the door and a thundercloud crossed his face.

'What the _hell _are you doing in here?' he growled, never having felt this angry before in his life.

'I'm not doing anything. I'm just…' Joseph was starting to back into a corner as Zac approached him.

'If you even _touched _her, you're going to regret it.'

'I didn't. I didn't touch her.' Joseph actually looked a little scared.

'Good. Now get out, before I make you regret that you were even born.' Zac stepped aside and Joseph fled from the room, the door slamming behind him. Vanessa woke up as the door slammed and she whimpered, looking around the room.

'Zac?' she called out softly. Zac walked out of the bathroom, his face still angrier than it had even been.

'Hey.' he said quietly, his voice shaking. Vanessa sat up immediately, all traces of sleep gone.

'What happened?' she asked frantically.

'I…' Zac couldn't speak, he just shook his head.

'Woah. Something happened, I know it. Come here.' She reached out to him and he came closer, letting her grab his hand. Her touch immediately calmed him slightly and he let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

'He… he was here.' He managed to say. Vanessa looked at him questioningly and then recognition crossed her face.

'Joseph?' she asked.

'Yeah. I told him… I made him leave.' Zac was having trouble getting his words out. Vanessa pulled him down to sit next to her on the bed. As soon as he sat, she put her arms around him.

'Its ok, baby. It's ok.' she whispered. He leaned into her, burying his face in her hair.

'I thought… I thought he'd come for you.' Zac whispered.

'It's ok. Its lucky you came when you did.'

'I… was so angry… and scared. If he'd gotten to you… if I hadn't come back…'

'It's ok. Nothing happened. I'm fine.' She pressed a kiss to his temple and weaved her hand into his hair. He breathed out heavily and nodded.

'I know. It's fine. I'm being stupid.'

'You're not being stupid. It's ok. Its ok, Zac.'

'I know. I love you. I just don't want him anywhere near you. Especially after what he's done.'

'I know. But its ok, everything worked out ok.'

'I am never letting you out of my sight again.' Zac muttered, pulling Vanessa closer to him. She held him tightly, placing gentle kisses on his neck every few seconds.

'We're going to have to leave soon.' Vanessa said a while later. 'We've got to be at the theatre in like, a half hour.'

'Ok.' Zac got up off the bed and grabbed his bag, making sure he had everything he needed. Vanessa did the same, and when they were ready they headed down to the bus, their hands linked together tightly. Neither of them spoke to anyone on the bus and for one of the first times ever, they closed the door of Vanessa's dressing room. When they went to warm up, Ashley practically leaped on them.

'What's up with you two?'

'It's a long story.' Vanessa muttered, seeing Zac tense beside her.

'What happened?' Ashley persisted.

'We'll talk about it later, Ash.'

'Nessa…' Zac warned in a low voice. Vanessa looked up at him and he jerked his head ever so slightly towards the front of the stage where Joseph and Emily were talking to Kenny. Vanessa slipped her arm around Zac's waist and squeezed slightly.

'Its ok.' she whispered, so only he could hear. He nodded, never taking his eyes off hers.

'You two are acting weird today. What's up?' Corbin asked.

'Nothing.' Zac replied. Something in his voice let everyone know that he wasn't going to talk about it, so they all backed off. However, at interval, the subject was brought up again.

'So are you two going to tell us why you're being so weird?' Ashley asked from the doorway of Vanessa's dressing room. Zac's head snapped up to look at Vanessa. Her eyes met his and she silently let him know that she wasn't going to tell anyone anything until he was ok with it.

'No. we'll talk about this tomorrow or something. Now is not the time.'

'Fine, whatever.' Ashley was a little hurt that she wasn't allowed to know about whatever was going on. She stalked out of the room and back to her own room.

That night on the bus, Zac was the one leaning on Vanessa, instead of the other way around like was normal.

'Sorry I nearly fell asleep on you.' he said when they got back to their suite.

'It's ok. You had a very stressful day, I completely understand.' She soothed, running her hand through his hair gently. He nodded tiredly as he climbed into bed. She lay next to him, caressing his face gently, calming him to help him fall asleep.

The next day, he gave her permission to tell Ashley what had happened, but she had to promise she wouldn't tell anyone else. She was astounded to hear the story, and swore she was going to keep it to herself. When she finally left their room, Vanessa turned to Zac, searching his eyes with hers.

'Are you ok?' she asked.

'Yeah. I think yesterday I was in a bit of shock. I don't think I've ever been that angry or scared before, my brain didn't know how to handle it.'

'Yeah… you were pretty out of it for the rest of the day. You seem a lot more normal now.'

'Gee thanks.' Zac said sarcastically, but grinned. 'Seriously though, thanks for being so great yesterday.'

'Hey, it's ok. It makes up for all the times you've looked after me.'

'Well anyway, thanks.'

'It's ok. We're gonna work out what he's up to, you know.'

'I know. He's not going to get away with this, I promise you.'

'good.' Vanessa snuggled into Zac's chest.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'I'm ok. I just wish I could stop relying on these stupid painkillers. I just want to live normally again.' She replied softly, her eyes closing tiredly.

'you will baby, you will.' He kissed the top of her head.

'Mm hmm.' She muttered sleepily. He smiled.

'Are you falling asleep on me?'

'No.' she stifled a yawn.

'Yes you are. Go to sleep, baby. I'll be here, I promise I won't let him get to you.'

'Ok.' she agreed with another yawn. And within minutes, they were both asleep, thoughts of Joseph far from their minds.

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**Ok, well things are starting to take shape. Its finally starting to go somewhere. I promise I'll try to update in a couple of days. In 2 weeks I go on tour, and for the first little while I will have access to a computer, but I'll be crazy busy, so I don't want to leave you hanging for a month while I'm touring. I'll see what I can do. **

**Well, I'd really enjoy it if you all reviewed…. Please?**


	23. Ominous phone call

**A/N: Well well, Chapter 23. Ok, so I had a few people ask what I'm going on tour for, so here it is. I study theatre and we've got a huge Shakespeare festival on at the moment and the tour lasts for a month. We start tomorrow, getting everything ready and the show opens next week. I'm working on the main stage production of Romeo and Juliet, and there's a whole bunch of other smaller stuff going on too. So don't be surprised if my next author's note is written in Shakespearean, cause it seems to be swimming around my head at the moment.**

**Anyway, thanks everyone for your reviews. Keep them coming, I love knowing what you thought.**

**Oh and Dani, Yes, I did base Em off myself. She's a stage manager, like me... she even looks like me. Lol. In other words, yes, she is me.

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That night, when everyone arrived at the theatre, Kenny was prowling around the dressing rooms waiting for them. He made them all come into the green room to talk with him.

'There is no easy way to say this, but someone is… there is someone in this theatre who is not very fond of you lot and will do anything to hurt you. A few chorus girls heard a conversation yesterday and it alarmed them to the point where they came to me and told me what they'd heard. I need you all to be very careful around here. Don't go anywhere alone, and be careful who you speak to and what you say.'

'Kenny… we know who you're talking about. This has been going on for a while.' Lucas spoke up. Kenny looked shocked.

'Really? Has he done anything?'

'Yes.' Zac answered. Vanessa took his hand, squeezing it gently.

'What happened?'

'Ash had an encounter with him one night at the hotel, in the hallway, and then yesterday, he was in my room when I got back. Nessa was asleep in bed and I found him hiding in the bathroom.'

'Did he do anything to you?' Kenny asked Vanessa. She shook her head. 'And you, Ash? What did he do to you?'

'He was in the corridor when I went to get a soda one night and he… he touched me.' she finished in a whisper. Lucas had a muscle twitching in his jaw and his fists were clenched. Kenny simply nodded, not wanting or needing any more information than that.

'Ok, well as long as you're all aware. We're currently trying to find a replacement stage manager, but while we do, he has to stay around. So keep away from him as much as you can and if he does anything more, I want to know about it. Yes?'

'Yes.' Everyone chorused. Kenny dismissed them and they headed back to their dressing rooms.

'I'm so glad Kenny knows what's going on.' Vanessa said, collapsing onto her couch. Zac sat down beside her without a word. 'Are you ok?' Vanessa asked him. He sighed.

'Yeah. I just think that after everything he's done, he deserves to lose a lot more than his job.'

'I know. But we can't do anything else. Let's just be glad that we're getting rid of him, ok?'

'Yeah I know.' Zac wrapped his arms around Vanessa and pulled her against him, letting her head fall onto his chest.

'Are things ever going to be normal for us?' She asked. Zac shrugged.

'I wish I knew.'

'Ah, young love.' Sandra joked as she came through the door.

'Hey Sandra.' Vanessa said, getting up and taking her seat at the counter so Sandra could start working.

'I'll see you later.' Zac said as he left the room.

'What's up with him?' Sandra asked.

'Too many things.' Vanessa replied with a sigh.

That night, Zac barely spoke. When they got back to the hotel, Vanessa pushed him onto the bed and stood in front of him, her hands on her hips.

'You need to stop thinking about everything that's happened the last few days. It's making you crazy. Just, forget about it.'

'I can't! Don't you understand that? He could have hurt you! How do expect me to just forget that?'

'Because it's making you crazy, and to be honest, you're driving me insane. I can't handle this anymore. I want my boyfriend back.' Vanessa's voice shook and Zac looked up at her. She was about to cry, he could tell.

'Baby, I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you. Come here.' He pulled her down onto his lap and held her tightly as she buried her face in his neck. He rocked her back and forth, neither of them saying anything for a long time.

'I'm sorry I was insensitive.' Vanessa mumbled into Zac's neck.

'You weren't. Its ok, I do need to get over it, you're right.'

'You just haven't been yourself since it happened, and I missed you.'

'I know. So from now on, I'm not gonna let it get to me. I promise. Unless he does anything else.'

'Thank you.' Vanessa began to press kisses on Zac's neck, her tongue running over his skin occasionally. He reacted immediately, flipping her over so he was hovering above her and capturing her mouth with his.

'I love you.' he whispered between kisses.

The next morning, Vanessa woke up to the memories of the previous night. She grinned as she rolled over and came face to face with… an empty bed. She sighed.

'Zac?' she called out, assuming he was in the bathroom. She got no response. She sighed again as she got out of bed, pulling one of Zac's t-shirts on as she crossed past the window and went into the bathroom. After she'd showered, she came back out into the room and there was still no sign of Zac. She called his cell phone and got no answer. She shook her head in annoyance as she began to get dressed for the day. Once she was ready, she went down the hall and knocked on Ashley's door.

'What?' Ashley called irritably from inside the room. Vanessa poked her head in.

'What's up with you?' she asked. Ashley was still in bed, curled up on her side.

'Cramps.' Ashley answered.

'Oh. That sucks.'

'I know, I'm there.' Ashley joked. Vanessa grinned.

'Well at least it doesn't affect your sense of humor. This may be a stupid question, but you wouldn't happen to know where Zac is, would you?'

'No.'

'Damn. He was gone when I woke up this morning and he wouldn't answer his cell.'

'Interesting… I wouldn't worry about it; he's probably at the gym or something.'

'Yeah, probably.' Vanessa sat down on the bed, flicking the TV on.

'You don't sound convinced.' Ashley stated. Vanessa shrugged, her attention focused on the TV. 'Nessa?'

'Huh?' Vanessa turned to face Ashley.

'What's going on?'

'I don't know. It's not like him to just leave. Usually he'd leave a note or something. Or at least call to tell me where he is.'

'I'm sure everything's fine. He probably just forgot.'

'Yeah, I guess.' Vanessa turned her attention back to the TV. Ashley sighed.

An hour later when Vanessa's phone rang, she practically leaped on it, answering it without even looking at caller id.

'Zac?'

'You wish.' A voice she didn't recognize replied.

'Oh sorry. Who is this?' she asked politely.

'Someone you hoped you wouldn't see again.'

'Who are you? And how'd you get my number?'

'I have my ways. The same way I got a key to your hotel room. My girlfriend was more than happy to help.' The guy said with a creepy laugh. Vanessa suddenly understood.

'Oh my god. Joseph?' she asked in a whisper.

'Yeah, you got it.' He laughed. Vanessa hung up the phone in horror. Ashley was staring at her with fear written all over her face.

'Was that…'

'Yeah.' Vanessa replied hollowly.

'You should call Kenny and tell him.' Ashley said calmly. Just then Vanessa's cell phone buzzed with a text message.

_If you even think about telling anyone, I'll make sure you regret it._

Vanessa handed the phone to Ashley, her face white. Ashley read the message and handed the phone back to Vanessa.

'Call Zac. Then when we get to the theatre later, tell Kenny. Once he knows, Joseph won't be able to do anything.' She said reassuringly. Vanessa nodded and speed dialed Zac's number. Thankfully, he answered.

'Hey!'

'Hey.' Vanessa said softly.

'What's wrong?' he asked immediately.

'Can you come back to the hotel, please?'

'Of course. I'll be right there.' Zac hung up. Several minutes later, he burst into the room and immediately took her in his arms.

'What happened?' he asked.

'He called me.'

'HE WHAT?!' Zac exploded. Vanessa whimpered. 'Sorry.' Zac said softly, stroking her hair.

'He got my number… and he called me.'

'What did he say?' Zac asked, trying his best to stay calm.

'He didn't say much. But when I hung up, he sent me a text that said if I told anyone, he'd make sure I regretted it.' Vanessa's voice was quiet, warning Zac not to overreact. He took a deep breath, his hands balling into fists.

'I'm going to make sure he regrets it.' He whispered. Vanessa grabbed his hands in hers and kissed his knuckles.

'Don't.' she whispered. Zac shook his head.

'How can you expect me to do nothing?' he asked desperately, his fingers intertwining with hers.

'Because he _wants _you to do something. We're just gonna tell Kenny when we get to the theatre, and he'll take care of it. Ok?' Vanessa slipped her arms around Zac's waist in a hug and he sighed again.

'Ok.' he agreed reluctantly. Vanessa looked up at him, her eyes meeting his.

'Come with me.' She said, pulling on his hand. 'See you later, Ash.' She called as they went out the door. Vanessa pulled Zac into their room and closed the door. She pushed him down onto the couch and sat next to him, curling into his side. 'Please don't do anything stupid.' She pleaded softly.

'I already promised I wouldn't.' he replied sullenly.

'Zac.' Vanessa said warningly. He sighed.

'I know, I know. I'm sorry. It's just…' he trailed off, looking at the floor.

'I know. Remember when I promised you that I'd tell you if you ever became too protective? Well, I'm telling you now.'

'Ok. I'm sorry. I just don't want him to do anything to you.'

'I know, babe.' she kissed his shoulder, where her head was resting. 'I know.' they sat in silence, both of them contemplating what had happened. Vanessa felt her eyelids becoming heavy and she stifled a yawn.

'I think I'm about to fall asleep.' she muttered. Zac chuckled.

'Me too. Come on, let's have a nap.' He pulled her up off the couch and stripped to his boxers, climbing into bed. Vanessa slipped her jeans off, but left her tank top on, crawling into bed next to her boyfriend. He draped an arm across her waist, her back up against his chest, feeling the warmth of her body. He kissed the back of her neck.

'I'm sorry. I love you.' he whispered.

'Love you too.' she replied sleepily.

Vanessa woke up to the sound of someone banging on the door.

'Zac! Nessa! Are you in there?' Ashley's voice came from the other side of the door. Vanessa groaned and got out of bed, opening the door.

'What?' she asked. It was obvious she'd been asleep.

'What the… the bus is waiting. You guys are way late!' Ashley replied. Vanessa groaned, running back over to the bed, shaking Zac awake.

'Zac, we're late. The bus is about to leave.' She told him gently. He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

'Ok, ok, I'm up.' He climbed out of bed, getting dressed quickly before grabbing his bag and Vanessa's hand and running out the door. When they finally arrived at the theatre, Kenny was waiting for them. Vanessa looked up at Zac and he nodded slightly.

'Kenny, can we speak to you?' Zac asked.

'What's up?'

'Joseph called Vanessa's cell this morning.' Zac said carefully.

'What did he say?' Kenny asked, his question directed at Vanessa.

'Umm… not much, really, I hung up on him. But he sent me a text saying that if I told anyone, he'd make me regret it.'

'Ok, that's it. I am stepping up this search for a new Stage Manager. I will not have him terrorizing my cast. Nessa, I don't want you going anywhere alone. And tell Ashley the same. Stick with the guys at all times. Hopefully we can get rid of him soon.' Kenny instructed. Vanessa and Zac nodded their agreement and Kenny left leaving the pair in Vanessa's dressing room. Vanessa scooted across the couch and laid her hand on Zac's leg. He smiled gently at her and she returned it before leaning against him.

'I can't believe we almost missed the bus because we were sleeping.'

'I know. I can't believe you opened the door without pants on.'

'It was only Ash. _Sooo _not an issue.'

'Oh that's right, I'd forgotten that weird, "I know everything about you, including what you look like naked" relationship you have.' Zac joked. Vanessa punched him lightly.

'Shut up. We're practically sisters. When you have a friend who you are that close with, nothing bothers you.'

'Yeah… I'm never gonna understand it. Its probably best if you stop trying to explain it.'

'Ok.' Vanessa agreed with a laugh. Silence fell and she snuggled further into Zac's side.

'I hope Kenny gets rid of him soon.' She whispered.

'Me too.' Zac agreed through gritted teeth.

'Hey, calm down.' Vanessa said, rubbing Zac's leg gently. He visibly relaxed and dropped a kiss onto the top of Vanessa's head.

'Are you feeling ok?' Zac asked.

'Yeah, I feel fine. That nap was good.'

'Ok. If you're sure. Promise you'll tell me if you start to feel crappy again?'

'Of course I will. I love you.'

'I love you too baby.'

'Always and forever.' Vanessa said sweetly.

'Cheesy much?' Zac replied.

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**So how about that. Tell me what you thought. Question, comments? I'll try to update as soon as possible, but with tour starting, I dont know when I'll be able to put the next chapter up.**


	24. Again?

**A/N: Ok, so I know it's been forever since I updated, and I'm so sorry. I am working my ass off on this Shakespeare festival… I've been working 14 hour days, with barely any breaks. I haven't had time to eat, sleep, relax or socialize, let alone update! But I had a day off today, so here we are. Tour starts soon, so I won't be able to update for another couple of weeks, so I'm sorry about that. I'll do what I can.**

**Kylie, I miss you!! We'll chat soon, I promise. I can't wait to catch up and find out how everything's going with you. Love ya!

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**

The next day, Zac and Vanessa were sitting in their suite when Zac's cell phone rang.

'Hello? Oh, hey Kenny…. Really? Sweet! Thank you! Yeah we'll see you later. Bye!'

'Did he…' Vanessa trailed off at the ecstatic look on Zac's face.

'They found a replacement for Joseph. Kenny said he's just about to let Joseph know that he lost his job, so we're supposed to go hang out somewhere he wouldn't find us.'

'How about… central park?' Vanessa asked with a grin. Zac's face fell.

'We can't, we'll get recognized. Unless…' a grin appeared on his face as he grabbed a sweatshirt from the table. 'Put this on.' He said, passing it to her.

'Why?' she asked as she pulled it over her head.

'If you wear that and my beanie with sunglasses, no one will notice you. I'm gonna wear a baseball cap and a sweatshirt. No one will even look twice at us.' Zac explained. Vanessa grinned.

'God, I love you.' she said as she picked up Zac's beanie off the dresser, jammed it on her head before grabbing Zac's hand and running out the door.

That night they arrived at the theatre and found Emily waiting for them in Vanessa's dressing room.

'What are you doing here?' Zac asked.

'I wanted to apologize. Joseph told me what he did. That he lied to me. I should have believed you guys and I didn't. I'm sorry.' Her voice shook. Vanessa looked up at Zac. Emily was obviously upset, it couldn't have been easy to find out her boyfriend lied to her and sleazed onto other girls.

'It's ok, Em.' Zac said softly. Vanessa grinned at him.

'He's right. We totally forgive you. Are you ok though? That can't have been easy to find out.'

'Yeah, it sucked pretty bad, but I'm not gonna let it get to me.' Emily smiled.

'Good. We'd hate to see you miserable.'

'Thanks. Well I'd better go see everyone else and make sure no one hates me. I'll see you guys later.' Emily waved over her shoulder as she left the room, heading off to see everyone else. As she left the room, Sandra came in. Vanessa sat herself down at the bench, ready to have herself pampered.

'See you at warm up, baby.' Zac said, kissing Vanessa's cheek quickly before running out the door.

The next day, Vanessa woke up with a headache. She sat up in bed and whimpered, holding a hand to her eyes. Just then, a knock at the door surprised her. She climbed out of bed, leaving Zac sound asleep, and opened the door. Ashley and Emily stood in front of her, wide grins on their faces.

'We're going out shopping today.' Ashley said happily. Vanessa smiled at them.

'Ok, just give me some time to get ready.'

They spent most of the day shopping and went straight to the theatre, as they didn't have time to go back to the hotel and get the bus. As soon as she walked into her dressing room, Vanessa pushed Zac onto the couch, sitting on his lap and winding an arm round his neck, kissing his cheek before dropping her head onto his shoulder.

'Are you ok?' He asked

'I don't feel good.' She muttered. He looked at her with worry.

'Are you ok? Do you need to take some Advil?' he asked, brushing her hair off her face. She nodded.

'I took some right before we got here.'

'Ok. Should we get you some more of that medicine the doctor prescribed?'

'Nah, I'm ok. I don't need it.'

'Are you sure?'

'I'm sure.'

'Ok. Well if you need it, just let me know, ok?'

'I will, I promise.' Vanessa placed her head in the crook of Zac's neck, nuzzling him gently. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and kissed her shoulder, running his hand up and down her back.

'Hey guys, I… oh crap I just interrupted a major moment, didn't I?' Ashley said guiltily from the doorway.

'Yes, go away.' Vanessa mumbled, her face still buried in Zac's neck. Ashley turned and walked out the door, closing it noiselessly behind her.

'I love you.' Zac murmured softly. Vanessa simply kissed his neck and began to suckle gently at his skin. His head dropped onto her shoulder and he let out a groan.

'Stop.' He said huskily. She stopped, but kept her face pressed into his neck. He kissed her shoulder, his hands under her shirt holding her waist tightly. Vanessa's hand moved from Zac's hair to the base of his neck, her fingers slipping under the neckline of his t-shirt. She couldn't help herself and began to kiss his neck again.

'God, Nessa.' He murmured.

'I love you, Zac. So much.' Vanessa whispered. It was only a moment before Zac felt the wetness on his neck and realized Vanessa was crying. He shifted her on his lap so he could look into her eyes.

'What's wrong, baby?' he asked, brushing the tears away gently.

'I don't want to get sick again. It was horrible last time.'

'Do you think you're coming down with the same thing as last time?' Zac asked. Vanessa nodded tearfully.

'I feel just as crappy as I felt last time.'

'We need to get you some more of that medication then.' Zac said seriously.

'I don't want it. I don't want to be relying on medication all the time. I hate this.' Vanessa sobbed. Just then, the door creaked open and Sandra came in. she stopped at the sight of the pair on the couch.

'Oh god, I'm sorry to interrupt.' She said.

'It's ok.' Vanessa said, wiping her tears and getting off Zac's lap. She sat in her chair and closed her eyes, waiting for Sandra to start work on her hair. Sandra and Zac exchanged a look, but Sandra shrugged and began to do Vanessa's hair. Zac knelt down beside Vanessa's chair and took her hand. She opened her eyes and looked down at him.

'I'm gonna go ready, but I'll be back real quick, I promise.' Zac said softly. Vanessa nodded and closed her eyes again. Zac kissed her hand and went out to his own dressing room.

Not too long later, Zac came back into the room, just as Sandra was finishing Vanessa's hair. He put a soothing hand on the back of her neck, rubbing gently.

'I'm going to call doctor tomorrow. I want to know what's going on, because I don't think the doctor at the hospital knew what he was talking about.'

'Mmmm.' Vanessa replied, her eyes closed as Sandra did her makeup.

'How's your head feeling?' Zac placed a hand on Vanessa's forehead. 'You feel a little warm.' Vanessa simply shrugged in response.

'I need you to open your eyes so I can do your eyeliner.' Sandra said apologetically. Vanessa's eyes opened and immediately snapped closed again as she whimpered. Sandra shot a look at Zac who gave her a reassuring look. He knelt down next to Vanessa, holding her hand in his.

'Nessa, you need to open your eyes. You have to get used to the light, otherwise you won't be able to do the show.' He said softly. Vanessa eyes opened and she stared at Zac, looking completely miserable. 'See? It's not so hard.' He said softly. She nodded. He kissed her gently and stepped away so Sandra could get to her face to finish her makeup.

When Sandra was finished, she placed a caring hand on Vanessa's shoulder.

'If you need anything, let me know. I hope you feel better.' She said before leaving the room. Vanessa stood up and went over to her costume rack. She took her first costume and swayed on her feet slightly. Zac caught her before she fell, holding her against him.

'I'll help.' He said simply, taking the costume from her. He pushed the door closed and went over to where he'd sat Vanessa onto the couch. He pulled her shirt over her head and stood her up, sliding her sweat pants off her before helping her into her costume. When she was dressed and completely ready, he sat her on his lap again and she leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes again. He put his finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his, forcing her to open her eyes and look at him.

'You have to keep your eyes open, baby. You have to get used to the light, so you can handle it on stage.' He said gently. She nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on his. A knock at the door signified that it was time for warm up. Zac pulled Vanessa up off the couch, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked to the stage.

Vanessa made it through the show, but only just. When it was over, she sat on the couch motionlessly, tears running down her face as Zac took her costume off and clothed her again in her sweatpants and t-shirt. He carried her out to the bus, holding her on his lap all the way back to the hotel. At this point everyone had realized she was sick again, and Ashley was starting to get scared again.

'She'll be ok, Ash.' Zac said softly. 'I'm taking her to the doctor tomorrow.'

'I know.' Ashley said with a nod. Vanessa whimpered and Zac adjusted his hold on her.

'Its ok, baby. We're nearly at the hotel.' He said softly, brushing her hair off her face. She leaned her head on his shoulder, but then moved it again with a small whine.

'Hurts?' Zac asked. Vanessa made an indistinct noise of confirmation. Zac rubbed her arm gently, not wanting to touch her head for fear of hurting her.

When they got back to the hotel, Zac carried Vanessa into their room and placed her down on the couch while he re-arranged the pillows, to make her side of the bed more comfortable. Once he was finished, he undressed her and put her pajamas on her before placing her gently into the bed and drawing the covers over her.

'Here's some asprin, Ness.' He said softly, propping her up so she could swallow the pills. Once they were gone he laid her back down before undressing and climbing into bed next to her.

Vanessa spent most of the night trying to get comfortable, but too afraid to move because her head hurt so much. Zac, who was a heavy sleeper, had no idea Vanessa was awake, for which she was thankful, she didn't want to be responsible for keeping him awake. However, when he did wake the next morning, Vanessa opened her eyes but didn't move.

'Hey beautiful.' Zac said softly.

'Hi.' Vanessa whispered.

'Did you sleep?'

'A little.' Vanessa lied. Zac smiled sympathetically.

'I'm going to call the doctor right now.' He kissed her lips gently before dialing a number on his phone. 20 minutes later, he had made an appointment for 10am.

At 10 am, Zac was sitting in the waiting room of the medical clinic down the road from the hotel. Vanessa was on his lap, her face pressed into his neck, trying to block out the light. When the doctor called her name, Zac carried her into the doctor's office and held her on his lap while he began to talk to the doctor.

'She was sick a few weeks ago, she had migraines and she was really tired. She passed out a couple of times so we took her to the hospital and they said it was just a standard migraine. They gave her some painkillers, and she seemed to be getting better. But she got sick again.'

'Ok then, well let's take a look and see what we can find out.'

After the doctor had done his examination, he sat back in his chair and surveyed Zac and Vanessa thoughtfully.

'She's suffering from exhaustion. You've been working a lot?'

'Yeah.' Zac admitted.

'And not sleeping properly? Not eating correctly?'

'Yes and yes.'

'I thought so. She's exhausted and her body and her mind are just too tired. This is their way of letting you know to slow down and rest. I'll give you something to help her sleep; something to help the pain and you'll need to get these vitamins to help get her nutrient levels back to normal. She'll have to start eating properly and try and work out a regular sleeping pattern.' The doctor said, handing Zac a list of the medications he needed to get.

'Umm, we have a show to do tonight; will these painkillers be enough to keep her going for the show until she can rest tomorrow?' Zac asked cautiously, hating that he sounded insensitive for even asking.

'These are the strongest painkillers I can give you that won't make her drowsy. They should be good enough to keep her ok for tonight.'

'Thank you so much.' Zac said, shaking the doctor's hand. He then swung Vanessa up into his arms and went back to the hotel. When he arrived at his room, Ashley and Lucas were waiting on the couch.

'How is she?' Ashley asked. Zac laid Vanessa down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. She whimpered and buried her face in the pillows.

'Baby, you have to take your medicine.' Zac said softly. Vanessa rolled over, cracking one eye open to look at him. He nodded and helped her sit up, handing her the pills and a glass of water. Once she'd taken them, she slid back down into the bed and buried her face in the pillows again. Zac rubbed her back gently, and within minutes she was asleep.

'So she's not doing the show tonight?' Ashley asked.

'No, she is. The pain killers the doctor gave her are the strongest ones you can get that won't make her drowsy. He said she should be able to perform, as long as she rests during the day. I hope he's right.'

'Me too. I don't want her to think she has to do the show if she's not up to it.'

'I know.' Zac ran a hand through his hair.

'She'll be fine. If she's not up to doing the show, I'm pretty sure we'll know about it. It's pretty obvious that she's not well.' Lucas spoke up. Zac nodded.

'So what is actually wrong with her? What did the doctor say?' Ashley asked.

'She's "suffering from exhaustion". She hasn't been eating or sleeping properly and she's been working so hard and this is her body's way of letting us know that she's worn out.'

'Oh. Ok.' Ashley said, showing she understood. Lucas simply nodded. 'So she'll get better?' Ashley asked.

'Yeah. The doctor gave her some stuff to help her sleep; some painkillers and some vitamins to get her nutrient levels back to normal.'

'How long will it be before she's better?'

'I don't know. The doctor didn't say.' just then, Vanessa began to stir. Zac was immediately at the bed.

'Zac…' Vanessa said softly.

'I'm here, baby.'

'I need to throw up.' Vanessa whispered. Zac picked her up and took her into the bathroom, letting her empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. When she was done, Zac took her back to bed. He stroked her hair off her face, kissing her cheek gently. Vanessa found his hand and grasped it tightly.

'Stay with me.'

'I'm not going anywhere, baby, I promise.'

'Dude, we'll go. We'll see you later on, ok?' Lucas said as he and Ashley headed for the door. Zac nodded, giving a half wave to them as he crawled into bed beside Vanessa. She curled her body into his and fell asleep.

That afternoon, Zac waited as long as possible before waking Vanessa up. Eventually he had to wake her up, allowing some time for her to get ready to go to the theatre.

'How are you feeling?' He asked softly, stroking her hair.

'A little better.' She answered.

'Will you be ok to perform?'

'I think so. Ummm… so what happened this morning? It's all a little fuzzy. I know we went to the doctor, but that's all I've got.' Vanessa said with a shrug. Zac laughed.

'Its ok, you were pretty out of it. You're suffering from exhaustion, cause you haven't been eating or sleeping right and you've been working too hard. You've got medicine to help you sleep, and painkillers to help the headaches, and vitamins to get your nutrient levels back to normal.'

'Ok. Any chance I could have some of those painkillers now?'

'Yep.' Zac picked up the bottle, taking 2 tablets out and handing them to Vanessa. She picked up bottle of water, swallowing the tablets quickly. She held her hand up to her head as she stood up, swaying ever so slightly.

'Are you sure you're ok?' Zac asked.

'Yeah. My head's a bit sore, but once those painkillers kick in, I should be fine.'

'Ok.' Zac took Vanessa's hand as they went down to the bus.

'How are you feeling, Ness?' Lucas asked. Vanessa smiled.

'I'm ok.' she said simply. Lucas nodded, letting her in front of him to get on the bus.

When they arrived at the theatre, as usual, Zac followed Vanessa into her dressing room. She seated herself on his lap, leaning against him with her eyes closed.

'Those painkillers working yet?' Zac asked, brushing his hand over her hair. She nodded.

'Yeah. It still hurts, but it's a lot better than when I first woke up. Its more of a dull ache now.'

'Good. As soon as we finish tonight, you can take the stuff that helps you sleep, so by the time we get to the hotel it should have kicked in and you'll be able to sleep tonight.'

'Ok.' Vanessa's head dropped gently onto Zac's shoulder, her breath on his neck, her arms around his waist. 'Why did I have to get sick?' she complained quietly.

'I know, it sucks.'

'You're just saying that cause you're not getting any.' Vanessa mumbled. Zac feigned hurt.

'Well… yeah.' He joked. Vanessa grinned, her eyes still closed.

'I'm tired.'

'I know. Once we finish tonight, you can sleep for as long as you want. I promise.' Zac kissed Vanessa's head gently.

That night after the show, Vanessa passed out in her dressing room. Zac changed her and carried her onto the bus, hoping everyone else would think she was sleeping. Thankfully, they did and he got her into their room without much trouble. He laid her down on the bed, holding a cold washcloth onto her forehead.

'Come on baby, come back to me.' he said softly, stroking her cheek. Half an hour later, she was conscious again.

'Urgh.' She groaned as her eyes opened and then snapped closed again. 'My head hurts.'

'I know. Here, take these, before you pass out again. Are you ok?' Zac was trying his best to stay calm. Vanessa took the medicine and lay back against the pillows.

'It hurts pretty bad. Sorry I passed out.'

'It's ok. It's not like you could help it.' Zac lay back next to her, pulling her into his arms.

'I'm so tired.' She muttered sleepily.

'Go to sleep babe.' Zac said, rubbing soothing circles on her back. She nodded slightly, her head resting on his chest as her breath evened out and she fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Vanessa woke with a start, in a cold sweat and feeling nauseous. She got up, heading for the bathroom, but her legs were unsteady and she fell, emptying the contents of her stomach onto the carpet. Thankfully, Zac heard her and woke up, rushing over to her immediately, picking her up and taking her into the bathroom. Once she had finished throwing up, Zac undressed her and helped her into the shower. She was crying, her eyes closed tight, and Zac sighed as he realized he was going to have to get in the shower with her. he undressed and climbed in, turning the water on, and holding her up with one arm, while he got her cleaned up with the other. Once he'd finished cleaning her up, he took her out of the shower, drying her off and dressing her in a clean set of pajamas. He picked her up and took her back to bed, where she cried into his chest for at least an hour until….

'Zac? I need to throw up again.' She said through her tears. Zac rushed her into the bathroom where she threw up again, crying as she dry retched, her eyes still tightly closed. Once Zac was satisfied that she'd finished throwing up, he took her back to bed again and laid her down gently.

'Oh shit.' He said in horror as he looked down at her lying motionless on the bed.

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**Yep, I do love suspense…. I'm sorry I have to leave it hanging like that while I go on tour…. But I promise I will update as soon as I can. Please review!**

**Em xx**


	25. So many emotions

**A/N: Well here is chapter 25. Sorry it took so long. I went on tour, then I came back and I was insanely exhausted for about 4 days…. I still kind of am, actually. And our break is almost over, tour starts up again on Tuesday. Ew. But we have fun, so I can handle it. Ha ha. **

_Previously…_

'Oh shit.' He said in horror as he looked down at her lying motionless on the bed.

She had passed out again, but the main problem was the blood trickling down her face from a cut just below her hairline.

'Where the hell did that come from?' Zac muttered, pressing a wad of tissues over the cut. He lifted the tissues to see how deep the cut was and gasped as he saw it was a lot deeper than he'd originally thought. 'Dammit.' He said, picking up his phone and dialing Lucas's number.

'Hello?' Lucas answered very sleepily. After all, it was 3am.

'Luke, I need your help. Nessa needs to go to the hospital.' Zac said frantically.

'Ok, I'll be there in a minute.' Lucas hung up and Zac looked down at Vanessa, her eyes closed, her face pale, lying completely still. When Lucas burst through the door, Zac looked up, fear all over his face. 

'I need you to get a wet washcloth from the bathroom. And then we need a cab.' He said, as he picked up Vanessa in his arms. Lucas ran into the bathroom and came out with a washcloth which Zac pressed onto Vanessa's head. 

'Why don't we just call an ambulance?' Lucas asked.

'Because it would be all over the news before we even got to the hospital.' Zac replied as they made their way down to the lobby. Thankfully, instead of a cab, they were able to take a private car to the hospital, with a driver who had signed numerous confidentiality agreements. They rushed in, Zac carrying the still unconscious Vanessa, and Lucas holding the washcloth. The next hour and a half was a blur of doctors and waiting and panicking. When the doctor finally came out, Zac leaped to his feet expectantly. The doctor motioned for him to sit down, and took a seat opposite.

'She's doing fine at the moment, but we'd like her stay a few hours for observation. Has she been taking Zopiclone?' 

'Ummm….' Zac racked his brain, trying to remember the names of the tablets Vanessa was taking. 'Yes.' He responded eventually after remembering the sleeping tablets were called Zopiclone.

'Ok good, that means our suspicions were correct. She is allergic to it. That's why she has been throwing up. She's not completely out of the woods yet, because the medication is still in her system, but once it's worn off, she'll be able to go home. Now, Zopiclone sometimes has a memory loss affect during the time of use, so she probably won't remember anything when she wakes up. She'll be a little disorientated, so make sure you explain to her what happened.' The doctor explained. Zac nodded.

'Ok. Can I see her now?'

'Yes. She's on an IV, because she was severely dehydrated, and she's still sleeping right now. But you are more than welcome to see her.' The doctor motioned to the room Vanessa was in. Zac thanked him and went into the room. 

'Oh Nessa…' Zac said in a strangled voice as he sat in the chair next to her bed, taking her limp hand in his. 'Baby… I'm sorry…'

'It's not your fault, man.' Lucas said from the doorway. Zac didn't look up.

'It is. I should have checked to make sure she could take all that medication. I didn't think.'

'Dude, it is not your fault. There's no way Nessa would be blaming you.' Lucas said gently. Zac just shrugged. 

'You can go back to the hotel if you want. I'll be fine here.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah.'

'Ok. I'll come back later on with Ash.'

'Ok. Thanks, Luke.'

'No worries.' Lucas left Zac alone with Vanessa. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, frowning as he saw the stitches in her head.

'How the hell did that even happen?' he muttered, trying to remember when she could have hit her head. Eventually he shrugged it off, sitting back in the chair, still tightly holding Vanessa's hand.

3 hours later, Zac was beginning to doze off when Vanessa woke up. 

'Urgh.' She groaned, holding a hand up to her head.

'Oh thank god.' Zac said, leaning over and brushing her hair away from her face.

'Zac?' she murmured.

'Yeah, I'm here baby. It's ok.'

'What happened?'

'You're in the hospital. You're allergic to some of the medicine the doctor gave you. And you hit your head too.'

'I don't remember…'

'I know. The doctor said you wouldn't. Its ok, baby. They're going to keep you here for a few hours so they can make sure you're alright, and then we can go back to the hotel.'

'But the show…'

'I'll call Kenny and tell him you can't make it tonight.'

'But I have to perform.' Vanessa insisted.

'Nessa, you can't. You're sick. You need some time off. It'll be ok, Kenny won't mind.'

'I don't want to take time off.' Vanessa was getting teary again.

'Baby, you _have _to.' Zac said gently, pleading with her. Vanessa shook her head, tears spilling over and down her cheeks. Zac leaned over, wiping the tears away. 'Please don't cry, baby. It's going to be ok.' He climbed into the bed, pulling his sobbing girlfriend into his arms and pressing his lips against her neck gently. Once she had calmed down a little, Zac tipped her chin up so she was looking at him. 'Are you ok?'

'Yeah.' She tucked her head into the crook of his neck, kissing him softly, over and over, needing the comfort of him. He buried his face in her hair breathing in her scent. Vanessa heard his sharp intake of breath and looked up at him curiously.

'You don't smell like you.' He said shyly, a little distressed that he couldn't smell the most comforting scent in the world. She pushed her head back to his neck, kissing him again.

'I love you.' She whispered, nuzzling him with her nose. He tightened his grip on her, one arm around her lower back and the other holding her hand, their fingers linked together. Her body was pressed against his; it wasn't possible for them to be any closer together. They sat in silence, kissing occasionally, holding each other tight.

'You scared me.' Zac finally broke the silence. Vanessa looked up, her eyes meeting his, and she nodded.

'I know. I'm sorry.' Her voice was so soft he was surprised he could even hear what she'd said. He lowered his head so his forehead rested against hers.

'I was so scared. I have never been as scared of anything in my life as I have been for the last few weeks. I was terrified that I was going to lose you.' He whispered to her, his breath on her face. She angled her face towards his and their lips met for a moment. He gripped onto her tighter, both of his hands now holding her waist, wanting her as close to him as possible.

'You're my weakness.' He whispered to her in a voice thick with emotion. His eyes were closed and he was muttering under his breath, she couldn't hear what he was saying. She let him ramble, not moving her position in the slightest. When his face distorted and she could clearly see he was becoming increasingly upset, she closed her mouth over his again, weaving a hand into his hair, pulling his face closer to her as their tongues brushed against each other. When they separated, Vanessa saw a lone tear on Zac's cheek. She kissed it away, leaving her face against his as she rubbed slow circles on his back. He moved his head down to her neck, placing a kiss on her collarbone before sitting up and looking into her eyes.

'I love you.' He mouthed, too emotional too actually get the words out. She nodded, kissing him softly again.

'I know.' she whispered.

They were still sitting all curled up together in the bed when Ashley and Lucas walked through the door hand in hand, followed by Monique, Corbin and Emily.

'Oh my god, Ness, you should have seen my freak-out this morning when Lucas told me you were in here again.' Ashley said dramatically. Vanessa grinned, unwinding her arms from around Zac and reaching out to hug everyone.

'Thank you for helping to get me here last night.' She said softly and meaningfully to Lucas. He smiled.

'It's ok. I'm just glad you're ok. We all are.' The others all made noises of agreement. Ashley looked at Zac curiously. He was staring at the floor, his arms still wrapped around Vanessa tightly, showing no sign of letting go of her anytime soon. Ashley looked at Vanessa questioningly. Vanessa looked back at Ashley, pleading with her eyes. Ashley nodded.

'Hey Zac, come with me to get a coffee. You probably need one after being up all night.' She said. Zac looked up finally, his eyes scanning the room and his friends before finally landing on Ashley who was looking at him expectantly. He looked down at Vanessa and she stared back at him, her eyes telling him it was ok, that he should go with Ashley. He nodded almost imperceptibly and shifted slightly so he could get off the bed. 

'I'll be back soon.' He said softly. Vanessa nodded with a small smile. He followed Ashley out the door and down the corridor. He didn't say a word and Ashley looked up at him worriedly. He was staring at the floor as he walked so she couldn't see his face. But she knew it would have pain all over it. She reached over, slipping her hand into his gently. To her surprise, he didn't pull away. He just let her hold his hand, leading him towards the cafeteria. When they sat down to drink their coffees, Ashley finally spoke to him, breaking the silence that had hung over them since they'd left Vanessa's room. 

'She's ok, you know.'

'I know.' he replied softly, still not looking at her.

'Zac?' Ashley said gently. He finally lifted his head and looked at her. Her heart contracted as she saw the mix of emotions in his eyes. Sadness, pain, fear, worry and anger were staring back at her.

'Please, Ash, just… don't.' he said desperately.

'I have to at least try. Nessa needs you, and right now, you're in no state to do anything for her.'

'I have to call Kenny.' Zac said abruptly, changing the subject.

'We don't have a show tonight, remember? It's Monday, and we're having Monday's off from now on.'

'I know. But she needs more time off than just tonight.'

'Oh.' was all Ashley could say as Zac pulled his phone out and called Kenny. They conversed for quite some time before Zac finally hung up.

'I have to go back to Nessa.' He said, getting up from the table and walking away. Ashley jumped up and followed him, catching up to his long stride when they were almost at Vanessa's room. He entered the room and everyone looked up at him. He forced a smile that everyone knew was fake, and sat in the chair next to the bed that Corbin had recently vacated. She reached out to him and he took her hand. He looked at her for a long time, neither of them saying anything until they heard the door close and realized that everyone had left the room.

'Are you ok?' Vanessa finally asked. Zac shrugged.

'Not really. But I'm not going to tell that to anyone else.' He shrugged.

'I know. Umm… do I really have to go back to work tomorrow night? I don't want to.' her voice was soft and nervous. Zac shook his head.

'No. Kenny's cancelling the next 3 shows. The ticket sales weren't high, so everyone is going to get a refund or a replacement ticket to another show.'

'Oh. I didn't want that to happen…' she trailed off.

'I know. But we all needed time off and Kenny knew that, this is just a good excuse. It's ok. No one's mad. Everyone's going to be stoked that they get three days off.'

'Yeah… are you ok?' She asked softly. Zac looked away and shrugged. Vanessa lifted her hand, running her fingertips over his forehead and down the side of his face to rest her palm on his cheek. He turned his head, kissing her palm.

'I'm just exhausted, Ness. I know that you're feeling worse, so I don't want to dump all this on you. I'm fine.'

'You're not fine. I can tell that you're not. I want you to talk to me. Tell me what's going through your mind.'

'I'm tired. I'm scared because you keep getting sicker and I want you better. I'm angry with myself because I should have seen this coming. I'm worried about you. I'm devastated that this is happening to you. I just want to make it all go away.' Zac blurted out. Vanessa's mouth opened in shock as she stared at him, for the first time understanding why his eyes had been so dark and full of emotion recently. He looked away from her, falling forward to rest his head on her shoulder. She ran a hand through his hair.

'God, Zac, how are you keeping all that in? I'm surprised you haven't exploded.'

'I don't have a choice but to keep it in. this isn't about me, it's about you. I'm certainly not going to take any attentions away from you just because I'm feeling a little sorry for myself.' Zac snapped, lifting his head to look at her, his eyes dark and powerful.

'You can't ignore your feelings just because I'm sick. It's not good for you.'

'I don't care! You need to get better and that's all that matters.'

'It's _not _all that matters! _You _matter. You can't keep ignoring this!'

'Yes I can. This is the last time I'm going to say this. It's not about me. It's about you.'

'Ok, you know what? Fine. Do what you want. But I _need_ you. I need you so much.' Vanessa had tears in her eyes and Zac's heart broke.

'God, Nessa, I'm not going anywhere, I promise.' He said, climbing up onto the bed next to her and pulling her onto his lap. She began to sob into his shoulder as he placed soft kisses on her hair and rubbed soothing circles on her back. 'I'm sorry baby, I'm so sorry.' he whispered, holding her tight. She began to calm down and shifted herself on his lap so she could kiss his neck. She began to place open mouthed kisses on his neck, her eyes closed, her nose brushing over his skin. She began to nuzzle just below his jaw line, his stubble scratching her nose. He weaved his hand into her hair, massaging her scalp as she kissed his neck again, suckling lightly on the skin. His hand was on her thigh, squeezing it lightly as his head fell to the side so she could have easier access to his neck. She began sucking on his pulse and he let out a groan.

'I love you.' she whispered. 'So much.' She let her head fall to rest on his shoulder. He kissed her forehead, his hand finding hers and linking their fingers together.

'I love you too, Nessa.' He whispered. 'So much.'

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**What'd ya think? I'll only know if you review…… Next chapter might be a while cause of tour….. I'll try to update as soon as I can.**


	26. Avenue Q

**A/N: Hello again everyone…… I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last update! I was on tour and while we were away, my computer blew up, but it's fixed and now I'm back! However, this is actually the last chapter. There is also an epilogue, but this is the last actual chapter. Sad, I know, I'm a little devastated; I've been writing this for nearly a year and a half now! **

Vanessa was released from hospital that night, with some new medication to help her sleep, and a few stitches in her head. Zac took her back to the hotel and she immediately crawled into bed and closed her eyes.

'Tired, baby?' Zac asked, lying down next to her on his side. She nodded.

'Mm hm.' She mumbled. He kissed her forehead.

'Go to sleep. I'm not going anywhere, I'll be here when you wake up, I promise.' He said softly. She nodded and he could tell she was almost asleep already. He lay back against his pillows, suddenly feeling tired. He had been awake since 3am…

The next few days were spent resting and talking, with regular visits from their friends.

'I don't want to back to work tomorrow!' Ashley wailed on Thursday night.

'Believe me, Ash, none of us do.' Corbin agreed.

'I do.' Vanessa piped up. Everyone looked at her. 'What? I do want to. I want to be able to do the show and enjoy it finally.'

'Well fair enough.' Lucas commented. Vanessa grinned, her smile growing wider as Zac's hand found hers and their fingers curled together. She looked up at him and smiled.

'Oh, looks like time for us to go. They're making puppy dog eyes at each other again.' Corbin said with a roll of his eyes. Everyone else agreed, getting up and leaving. Vanessa laughed, laying back against her pillows.

'I'm going to remember that for future reference, in case we ever need to get rid of them again.' Zac said.

Vanessa woke early on Friday morning and smiled gently at Zac sleeping beside her. He was sprawled out on his back, one leg hanging off the edge of the bed and one hand behind his head. She ran her hand through his messy hair, kissing his cheek to wake him up. His eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her.

'Hi.' He whispered.

'Hi.' She replied.

'How do you feel?' he asked.

'I feel perfect.'

'Good. You're going to have fun tonight.'

'Yeah I am. I can't wait.'

That night they arrived at the theatre and Vanessa was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. The show went perfectly and everyone was ecstatic.

'That was one of the best shows we've ever done.' Lucas commented as they all got off the bus at the hotel.

'So much fun.' Vanessa kept muttering, a huge smile spread across her face. Zac was grinning too, his eyes never leaving Vanessa's face. He sidled up to her and took her hand.

'Let's go upstairs.' he whispered. She looked up at him and grinned, a cheeky look on her face.

'Hey, Ash! Let's have a sleepover in your room tonight!' she called to Ashley, her eyes never leaving Zac's. He rolled his eyes.

'I know exactly what you're doing.' He said, his face an inch away from hers.

'I know you do.' she replied, before brushing her lips against his so lightly that he wasn't even sure if they'd touched. She grinned at him, walking away and towards Ashley, swinging her hips in a way that she knew would drive his mind wild. A wicked look crossed his face. Two could play at this game.

20 minutes later, they were all assembled in Ashley's room, watching Charlie and the chocolate factory. Vanessa was seated on Zac's lap, wiggling purposefully every few seconds, knowing how much it was driving him crazy. While everyone's attention was on the movie, he ran his hand up her top, cupping her breast and squeezing it lightly. She bit her lip, and then leaned back so her mouth was next to his ear.

'You're going to pay for that.' She whispered seductively.

'Promises, promises.' Zac responded cheekily. Vanessa suddenly turned herself so she was facing him, one leg on either side of him. She fixed her eyes on his and they began a staring competition so intense that he didn't notice her moving her hand downwards until she touched him. He gasped and jumped. She grinned wickedly.

'I did warn you…' she whispered, nipping at his earlobe.

'That's it.' He said, pulling her up and out the door. They quickly made it into their own room and before they knew it, they were kissing, their hands and mouths all over each other.

'God, I've missed your body.' Zac groaned.

'Shut up.' Vanessa replied, pulling him back to her and closing her mouth over his again.

The next few weeks were so uneventful that Ashley began to miss the days when Vanessa had been sick.

'At least we had something to talk about then.' She complained during interval when they were all sitting in silence in the green room. No one responded.

'We are so boring.' She muttered. Luckily for her, that night, Kenny made an announcement.

'I have a gift for you all. We have been given free tickets for you all to go see Avenue Q the musical. The tickets are valid for anytime within the next 3 weeks, so I'd recommend that you use them on your next night off, which happens to be in 2 days. Now remember people, this is the theatre, not the cinemas, so dress nice. That is all. Goodnight.' He dismissed them with a clap of his hands and they all made their way back to their dressing rooms, talking excitedly.

'Zac and I were just talking about that show last week!' Vanessa exclaimed to Ashley.

'This is going to be so cool. I can't wait. We've been performing for so long and finally we get to watch someone else perform instead!'

'Its going to be so nice to do something exciting. The last few weeks have been so boring!'

'I know. I was considering breaking my own leg just for something to do, but I thought Kenny might kill me.' Lucas piped up. Vanessa and Ashley burst out laughing and Lucas shrugged.

'It wasn't that funny.' He remarked.

2 days later, they all assembled in the lobby of their hotel, waiting to get on the bus to take them to the theatre.

'It'll be so weird to get on the bus but not go to our theatre.' Monique commented.

'I know! The only place we ever go on that bus is to the theatre. And we're still going to the theatre, just not _our _theatre.' Emily agreed.

'Hey, is that dress new?' Ashley asked Vanessa.

'No, this is old! I wore this to the wrap party for high school musical.'

'Really? I so don't remember that at all.'

'I do.' Zac said softly from behind her. Vanessa turned around, grinning at him.

'Why aren't you sweet like that all the time?' she asked.

'Cause then it wouldn't mean as much.' He replied seriously. She leaned into him, kissing him gently.

'You two disgust me.' Corbin said as he walked past them. Zac pulled away and rolled his eyes.

'Wow, Corbin, you sure do have a talent for ruining the moment.'

'Yeah, I know. It's cause of my wicked sweet moment-ruining skills.' Corbin quipped, walking onto the bus. Zac and Vanessa gave identical eye rolls and followed him onto the bus, taking their usual seats.

Everyone piled out of the bus and into the theatre, chattering a mile a minute as they took their seats, so excited about seeing the show.

Several hours later, they all filed out of the theatre, still talking a mile a minute.

'That was so funny! I knew it was supposed to be funny, but that was freaking hilarious!' Ashley exclaimed.

'I know! I loved the monsters. Kate Monster was awesome.' Lucas agreed.

'My stomach hurts from laughing.' Vanessa complained, yet still grinning widely.

'I reckon that would be so awesome to actually be in.' Corbin said with a huge grin.

'Thinking of trying out, Corbs?' Zac asked with a laugh. Corbin folded his arms in mock anger.

'I might!' he said, but ruined the effect by laughing. 'Nah, but it just looked like it'd be so much fun.'

'Yeah, it'd be great to be one of the monsters, I reckon.' Monique piped up.

'I just loved the songs! They were so funny, but they were melodically awesome too.' Lucas added.

'You're such a musical nerd, Lucas.' Vanessa said, shoving him playfully. He shoved her back and she toppled, falling into Zac. He caught her.

'Geez, Luke, try and beat up my girlfriend, why don't you!' he said with a laugh. Lucas shrugged.

'Well, she's annoying, what do you expect me to do?' suddenly, he fell sideways, turning to see Ashley and Vanessa talking all too innocently beside him. He grinned wickedly.

'You are so going to pay for that.' He said in a low voice. Both girls squealed and ran away, Vanessa hiding behind Zac as Ashley ran in circles around them with Lucas chasing her.

'God, anyone would think you lot were 15 years old.' Corbin said, trying to be mature. They all simply laughed at him.

'Sure, Corbin, whatever.'

'You know what? In all seriousness, I'm so glad I got involved in this show. I'm finally working in real theatre, and with people who I absolutely love to death.' Emily said after a few moments.

'It has been a pretty great experience.' Vanessa said with a small.

'Not just a great experience, the _best_ experience.' Zac said finally, his arm wrapped around Vanessa, grinning at his friends. 'Yeah, definitely the best.'

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**Well, what did you think? Please review….. And remember, the epilogue is still to come.**

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	27. Epilogue

**A/N: I'm so sorry its taken me so long to get this chapter up. But its better late than never. Final chapter... can't believe its over! Its been a long time and so many things have happened, which is why its taken so long to get the whole story up, but its finally done. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. Thanks especially to Kylie, simply for being herself, and keeping me amused with her fantastic reviews. And also to everyone who waited patiently last year when I couldn't update. It means a lot that you waited all that time for me. Now, on with the chapter!**

The night had finally arrived. Closing night of High School Musical on stage. The tour was finally over. They had spent 6 months in New York, and then had toured for 14 months after that, performing in every state. It had been a tiring and stressful tour, but they had all had more fun than they had ever expected.

A lot had happened in the 14 months of the tour. Zac and Vanessa had a baby, Ashley and Lucas got married, and Corbin finally admitted he was gay.

Just kidding. The tour had been mostly uneventful. There had been some very funny times, like when the bus took off without Lucas and he had to run to the theatre. Then there was the time that everyone had got the flu all at once, which made for a fairly interesting concert in Alabama. And the time they'd caught Corbin making out with a fan after a post-show signing. And the time Emily got lost in Utah and the rest of the cast had come to her rescue, having already known their way around. Then there were the more serious times. Like when Monique's grandfather died and she couldn't go to the funeral because they were on the other side of the country. And the time Lucas and Ashley had a fight and didn't speak to each other for nearly 3 weeks. Or the three more times that Vanessa got sick and Zac nearly drove himself (and everyone else) insane with worrying about her. or the time that Emily missed a call to stage for the chorus, which resulted in there only being half as many people on stage for Status Quo. Kenny had yelled at her for 20 minutes and then she'd spent three hours crying. But despite everything that had happened, everyone had enjoyed themselves immensely.

'I can't believe it's our last show!' Ashley wailed as the bus pulled up to the theatre on closing night.

'I know. It's gone so fast!' Emily agreed.

'Fast? We've been on this bus for over a year!' Corbin exclaimed.

'Yeah, but we've had a blast.' Lucas pointed out. Corbin shrugged. He couldn't argue with that.

'I still don't want it to be over.' Ashley pouted. Lucas kissed her quickly. After their three week breakup, their relationship was much stronger.

'You're very quiet.' Zac commented to Vanessa as they got off the bus. She just shrugged, walking slowly into the theatre, and throwing her bag onto the floor as soon as she got into her dressing room. Zac followed her in and watched her face crumble as she looked at her costumes hanging on the rack. Within seconds he was holding her in his arms while she cried, rocking her back and forth slowly.

'I don't want it to be over.' She whimpered.

'I know, baby, I know. But it had to end eventually. Just don't think about it ending. Just have fun tonight. Tomorrow we can all be miserable together.' Zac said softly, having no idea if he was saying the right thing or not. To his relief she nodded, winding her arms around his neck and pressing her face into his neck. He backed up and sat down on the couch, shifting her onto his lap. Her face remained pressed into his neck and he rubbed her back soothingly. His hand rose up to her neck and began to massage it lightly. As she relaxed into his touch, her head fell sideways and he finally got a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were closed, and her lashes were wet with tears, as were her cheeks.

'I just don't want it to be over. We've had so much fun. And now we have to go home and be unemployed, and not be able to see everyone every day. I don't want to do it.'

'I know. I don't either.' He said simply, pulling her closer to him. A knock on the door startled them both.

'Sorry guys, but we have to start work.' Sandra said with an apologetic smile. Zac nodded, lifting Vanessa off his lap and standing up.

'It's ok. I'll see you soon.' he said, kissing Vanessa gently. She watched him leave and then turned her attention back to what Sandra was doing. She watched as her hair and makeup were done for the last time, remembering everything, not wanting to forget a moment of this whole experience. Sometime during her makeover, Zac had slipped back into the room and when she was ready to go to warm up, he took her hand in his, the two of them walking down the long corridor together, memorizing every tiny little detail so that they would never forget. Warm up was a lot more energetic than usual; Kenny knew everyone was feeling a little down, so he did his best to hype them all up. After he had successfully got them all smiling, he got the sound check done, still trying desperately to get his lead actresses to smile. But Vanessa and Ashley stubbornly refused to crack a smile.

'Kenny, can't you see that we're devastated? This is one time that we're not going to laugh at your lame jokes.' Ashley finally said with a sigh. Kenny sighed too.

'I know this is hard for you guys, but I need a happy cast tonight. It's a happy show. We need the audience to believe that you're having fun.'

'We're actors, Kenny. I managed to convince the audience that I was happy while I was extremely sick. And Ash managed to convince them that she was happy when she was crying herself to sleep every night during her fight with Lucas.' Vanessa said in a monotone, her head tilted to the side as the sound technician fixed her microphone. Kenny sighed in frustration.

'Well as long as the show is good tonight. But you are both forbidden to cry _before _the finale. During and after, yes, ok, I can understand. But before? Don't even think about it. Yes?'

'Yes.' Both of the girls agreed. Once all the microphone levels were right, they went back to their dressing rooms to get changed.

For the last time, they all emerged from their dressing rooms in costume, looking around at each other, remembering everything that they could.

'Did anyone bring a camera?' Vanessa asked suddenly. Everyone shook their heads. Vanessa sighed. Zac wrapped an arm around her shoulders and her arms immediately wrapped around his waist as she buried her face in his chest.

'I thought Kenny said no crying until after the finale.' Chad commented.

'I'm not crying.' Vanessa replied, her voice muffled by Zac's shirt. Corbin simply shrugged in response as silence fell.

'You know what? We should be enjoying tonight.' Zac spoke up. 'We don't want to remember tonight like this. We need to be happy for now.'

'You're right, dude. Lets have some fun tonight, rather than thinking about how sad it is to be finishing.' Lucas replied. The girls all nodded.

'Yeah. I'm going to have fun. Lets remember this properly.' Vanessa said brightly, forcing a smile onto her face. As always, the smile was infectious and before long everyone was grinning, psyching themselves up for that nights show. Their sadness was forgotten as they began to joke about things that had happened over the past 18 months, and before they knew it, they were being called to stage.

The show went by faster than anyone could ever remember it going. It wasn't until the finale was almost over that anyone remembered it was the final show. Vanessa looked over to the side of stage and saw the crew waiting to come on for their special closing night curtain call and suddenly it hit her like a brick in the face. This was the last performance they would ever do. Suddenly she was crying, yet still grinning like crazy, just as she always did. When Ashley caught sight of Vanessa, her face was shocked for a moment and then it took on a look of recognition as tears began to fill her eyes too. Then the finale was over and applause filled the auditorium as the curtain fell. Everyone scurried into their positions for the curtain call, Zac looking helplessly at Vanessa who was across the other side of the stage with tears streaming down her face. When they walked onto stage for their bow, instead of the rehearsed kiss on the cheek he was supposed to give her, he lightly pressed his lips to hers.

'I love you.' he murmured with a small smile. She smiled back, taking his hand as they took their bow. As soon as the curtain hit the boards for the last time, Vanessa and Ashley ran at each other, sobbing hysterically.

'It's really really over!' Ashley cried.

'I know!" Vanessa replied shrilly. Zac and Lucas exchanged a look before quickly walking over to the girls and pulling their respective girlfriend into their arms. Vanessa clung to Zac as though she'd never let him go.

'Its over.' She sobbed.

'I know, baby, I know.' he rubbed her back soothingly, feeling her tears soaking his shirt.

'We had fun though, didn't we?' She said tearfully, looking up at him. A smile graced his face.

'Yeah we did. We had the time of our lives.' He looked around the room, the smile still on his face, watching everyone else who had shared this amazing experience with him.

'The time of our lives.' He mumbled to himself.

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**Done, done and done. The end. Thanks everyone. Love you all.**

**Em xox**

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